MBB: South Carolina upsets Kentucky

South Carolina upset #18 Kentucky 76-68 Tuesday night at Colonial Life Arena thanks to a furious second half comeback and a reminder that basic fundamentals matter.

From the opening tip, it was clear the officials were the stars of the game. They called a total of 59 fouls, and each team had more fouls than field goals. Neither team could get into a rhythm because of the constant stoppages, and both teams had to go deep into their benches due to foul trouble.

The Gamecocks jumped out to a 7-0 lead behind aggressive play and a raucous crowd, but by the start of the second half, the energy was completely absent. USC was compounding the sluggish play by doing the little things wrong, committing reach-in fouls and missing free throws, going 16-for-28 from the line, a dismal 57 percent. The Wildcats took advantage of the lull to build a 14-point lead with 12:21 left to play. Gamecock head coach Frank Martin called a timeout, and the game changed. Martin screamed and yelled in the timeout, but he also encouraged his team.

"When you're down like that you can't beat the guys up," Martin said. "That was a moment that wasn't about coaching. That was kids taking ownership."

Out of the timeout, Evan Hinson made a three, his only basket of the game. Hinson only played nine minutes - Frank Booker's better three-point shooting was needed more against Kentucky's zone - but he did what he is expected to do and brought energy.

"When he hit that three the fans went nuts and that gave us a spark," Chris Silva said.

"When he hit that three it gave us life and brought the crowd back in the game," Booker said.

Nick Richards answered with a basket, and then Silva missed. Kentucky had a breakaway layup off the rebound, but Hinson chased down Hamidou Diallo and fouled him before he could make the layup. Hinson was called for a flagrant one foul, but the hustle got his teammates and the crowd involved. He also saved a point when Diallo only made 1-of-2 free throws, something that would become a trend for Kentucky.

Maik Kotsar came up with a steal and drew an intentional foul. John Calipari and Kevin Knox both pointed to that sequence as the moment Kentucky came unglued. Kotsar made one of his two free throws, and then Silva, who was sensational with 27 points and eight rebounds, scored a basket. The crowd was on the edge of its seat, waiting for a reason to erupt, and Booker gave it to them. He forced a turnover near midcourt and scored a layup, bringing the crowd to its feet.

"The game was ours and all we had to do was grab it," Calipari said.

"The intentional foul happened and that changed everything," Knox said. "The crowd definitely played a big impact because they got loud."

After a miss, Silva added a pair of free throws, and then Booker nailed a three. PJ Washington made a free throw, and then Wesley Myers threw an alley-oop to Silva. He would add another free throw to make it a 16-6 Gamecock run and a four-point game.

The teams traded baskets, and Silva took over again. He converted a three-point play to draw the Gamecocks within two. Knox missed a jumper, and Hassani Gravett grabbed the rebound. He fed Myers ahead of the defense for the game-tying layup. Diallo was fouled, but missed both free throws, and then Myers scored on a goaltend to put the Gamecocks ahead.

"I told the guys, you guys battled your tails off to get back in the game, now let's be disciplined and let's win the game," Martin said. "That's what we did."

From there, it was all free throws. In the final five minutes, South Carolina made 10-of-11 of the game's easiest shot. That included 4-of-4 shooting from Kotsar, who was shooting 43 percent entering the game. South Carolina's final nine points came from the line as it pulled away from Kentucky.

Meanwhile the Wildcats, who were shooting about 70 percent from the line for much of the game, went cold. During the Gamecocks' game-ending 36-14 run, the Wildcats were just 3-of-8 from the stripe. Knox said the crowd noise had an impact on the Wildcats' free throw shooting.

"Free throws is all mental. You've got to get to the line and tell yourself you're going to make it," Knox said. "In the second half they got into it."

For the game, South Carolina shot 25-of-38, 66 percent, from the line. Kentucky shot 23-of-36, 64 percent, but timing mattered. South Carolina again struggled from the floor, going 10 minutes without a basket in the first half and shooting only 38 percent, but it outrebounded Kentucky 40-35.

Notes:

Booker finished with 18 points, four rebounds, and three steals. ... Felipe Haase fouled out in 12 minutes with two points and four assists. ... Knox led Kentucky with 21 points and eight rebounds. ... Knox had Kentucky's only three-pointer. Kentucky was just 1-for-11 from behind the arc. ... Little used players Khadim Gueye and Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia played in the first half due to foul trouble. ... Attendance was 16,210. ... South Carolina's next game is Saturday against Tennessee at CLA. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.