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//  Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Devan Downey Drives South Carolina to Monumental Victory Over Top-Ranked Kentucky

Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Posted by Thomas Cochet

Say all you want about Kentucky’s John Wall already having Player of the Year award wrapped up. South Carolina’s Devan Downey is certainly challenging Wall for Most Valuable Player of the Southeastern Conference this season. John Wall, who is deemed the best player in college basketball this season and expected to enter the NBA Draft in the spring, may not even win MVP of his own conference. 

In its first game being ranked number one, Kentucky fell on the road to a determined South Carolina squad in a hostile environment last night. The Wildcats headed into the game as the lone unbeaten team in the country, coming off a home-thrashing of Arkansas over the weekend. On the other hand, South Carolina headed into this game reeling after a last-second loss to Florida on Saturday.

The Gamecocks were fueled by a frenetic Colonial Life Arena, and always had an answer for a Kentucky squad who was averaging 83 points per game. South Carolina guard Devan Downey lit up the scoreboard with 30 points en route to the 68-62 victory over the Cats. The Gamecocks’ resilience to never let Kentucky earn a comfortable lead allowed for Downey to steal the spotlight late in the game. Kentucky’s largest lead of the game was seven points, which was back in the first half.

Any hopes of this freshmen-laden Kentucky team going undefeated were dashed, as the Wildcats never had an answer for Downey. Forward DeMarcus Cousins led the Cats with 27 points. 

The road does not get any easier for the Cats, as they still must pay visits to Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. The road trip to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs will also be no cupcake for Calipari’s young team. Kentucky is expected to remain in the top five once the new polls are released next Monday, and are certainly still a legitimate contender to cut down the nets in April.

But this night belonged to the South Carolina Gamecocks, a program that was starving for a marquee win. The Gamecocks portrayed nothing but mediocrity this decade, winning the postseason NIT twice and having not made the NCAA Tournament since 2004.

Preseason expectations pointed to a possible return to the Big Dance for the first time in years. But all that went through the roof after their second-best player, Dominique Archie, suffered a season-ending knee injury back in November. The Gamecocks headed into last night’s contest on a three-game losing steak with a record of 11-8. Their best victory heading into last night was a victory over Richmond out of the Atlantic-Ten. Not to mention their record was littered with losses to Miami, Clemson, Boston College, Boston College, Baylor, Vanderbilt, Mississippi, and Florida. 

There were skeptics that believed Devan Downey was not capable of leading this once-proud program back to the NCAA Tournament. Downey’s performance against number one Kentucky dismissed any doubts remaining. Downey put up MVP numbers against the supposed Player of the Year to boost the morale of a depleted Carolina squad. He is certainly now capable of leading this team to the postseason with the boost of confidence he just received.

The Gamecocks finally caught a break and earned a marquee on the same night, which is the first step to turning around a disappointing season. South Carolina is a sleeping giant. This once-proud program is supported by a fan base dying to cheer on a true winner. It is also important to remember that this basketball program must not deal with the same pressure and expectations that arise for the football program in Columbia. South Carolina is capable of competing for SEC Championships with Kentucky and Tennessee on a yearly basis, granted the university shows a strong commitment to basketball and not just football.

The schedule still provides the Gamecocks with grueling trips to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. The Wildcats will certainly be looking for revenge back in the friendly confines of Rupp Arena on February 25th. But in a season filled with bad luck and disappointment, South Carolina finally caught a break and took advantage of what was in front of them. This Carolina team is poised to make a run at the Big Dance now that they have a leader in Devan Downey.

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