KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. South Carolina

by: KSR02/24/26

Kentucky is behind enemy lines again tonight, playing second-to-last-place South Carolina in Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks snapped out of a seven-game losing streak over the weekend, so there is a pulse in the South Carolina locker room. On the visiting side, Kentucky rides a three-game skid for the first time in five years, playing to stop the bleeding and stay away from the NCAA bubble conversation.

Oddsmakers set the line at 7.5 points, with Kentucky the betting favorite, while KenPom predicts a 77-71 win for Big Blue. Here at KSR, the staff has its own thoughts on the game. Read our predictions in the PARLOUR Pizza Predictions as we count down to Saturday night in Columbia.

Drew Franklin

Kentucky can’t take another loss, or that NCAA bubble conversation becomes realistic. Already losers of three straight, the Wildcats can’t make it four, even if tonight’s game is on the road. South Carolina has only three SEC wins and is down a starter, with little to play for beyond pride and hard-earned money. The Cats are the betting favorite and expected to win. Go do it.

I think they will, powered by yet another big Otega Oweh game. Collin Chandler will shake off whatever bugged him at Auburn and help Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen in the backcourt. All three will play well in leading UK to a much-needed win.

Score: Kentucky 79, South Carolina 75

Zack Geoghegan

Kentucky needs this win in the worst way possible. Facing a South Carolina team that ranks dead last in offense and second-to-last in defense among all SEC teams is a good way to end a three-game losing skid. The Gamecocks are the worst two-point and three-point shooting team in the league. Meechie Johnson, who is (once again) back at South Carolina and is now in year six as a college basketball player, does a bulk of the scoring for Lamont Paris’ squad. But in terms of overall talent, this team doesn’t have a lot of it.

But at the same time, it has become foolish to pretend that we have any idea how this Kentucky team will play on a game-to-game basis. The NCAA Tournament bubble becomes a larger talking point with every new loss. South Carolina is the final Quad 2 game on the regular season schedule — losing those can easily drop a team down a seed line. We’ll see a desperate Kentucky team show up on the road, though. I fear this game will come down to the final minute, but the Wildcats find a way to sneak this one out. They need it.

Score: Kentucky 78, South Carolina 76

Tyler Thompson

Kentucky rides a three-game losing streak to South Carolina, and if you think things are bad now, imagine if the Cats lost tonight. The Gamecocks are one of the worst teams in the league, winning just three SEC games so far. Before their win over Mississippi State on Saturday, they had lost ten of their last eleven. This game is the only one KenPom predicts Kentucky to win the rest of the way, so losing it would really send things into a spiral — and the Cats toward the NCAA Tournament bubble.

As easy as it is to dip into the nightmare scenario, I don’t think that will happen tonight. South Carolina has the worst offense in the SEC and the second-worst defense. That said, the Gamecocks put up 97 points on Saturday vs. Mississippi State and held Josh Hubbard, the SEC’s leading scorer, to 13 points. Afterward, Meechie Johnson said, “It’s never too late to turn things around.” The Gamecocks will be ready to play spoiler tonight, which makes it even more imperative for Kentucky to show up and slam the door.

Otega Oweh played like a man possessed in Kentucky’s loss at Auburn, posting a career-high 29 points. With their backs against the wall, I expect the rest of the team to follow suit. It won’t be pretty — how many wins this season have been? — but the Cats will win a game they can’t afford to lose, kicking the panic can down the road.

Score: Kentucky 78, South Carolina 73

Nick Roush

I’m not nervous, you’re nervous. Okay, I’m a little nervous, and how could you not be? It’s not just that Kentucky lost at Auburn. They played poorly and missed multiple opportunities to close out a winnable game.

There is plenty of pressure to perform in a must-win contest at South Carolina. Will it bring out the best of the Cats, or will they crack under that pressure? I got a bad feeling about Meechie Johnson. He’s scored 20+ points in three straight games and had a 35-point performance in early February against Texas. If we see something similar, Kentucky should still be good enough to escape with a win, but it’s going to be a sweat down the stretch. I’m anticipating one of those games where it feels like Kentucky is going to run away with it, but never delivers the dagger, putting the game in limbo late.

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Score: Kentucky 81, South Carolina 78

Jacob Polacheck

Kentucky needs a win on Tuesday in the worst way. After losing to Georgia at home and Auburn on Saturday, the vibes are low, and UK could use a bounce back.

South Carolina enters this game towards the bottom of the SEC, but if the Auburn game showed anything, Kentucky can’t overlook them. Meechie Johnson is one of the best scorers in the SEC, and could be a player that gives the Cats trouble. However, I’m still picking UK in a close one. Otega Oweh is the boring but expected pick for game MVP. Outside of him, Kentucky will need solid performances from the likes of Malachi Moreno and Collin Chandler.

Score: Kentucky 80, South Carolina 75

Jack Pilgrim

This game scares the crap out of me. Colonial Life Arena has been a House of Horrors for Kentucky, the Wildcats just 1-3 in Columbia dating back to 2018, and this current team has lost three straight with a tough run ahead to close out the regular season — three of four being Quad 1 opportunities. Lose this Quad 2 against a 12-15 (3-11) squad, currently No. 14 in the SEC with only Ole Miss and LSU behind? It took a Malachi Miracle to get it done in Baton Rouge after trailing by as many as 18, so it’s not like this team is immune from stinkers against bad teams. And don’t forget about the Meechie Johnson factor, the sixth-year guard — No. 13 in the league in scoring at 17.1 PPG — a perfect 2-0 against the Wildcats in his career. Lamont freaking Paris has a winning record against UK (2-1), but a losing record overall at USC (61-64). Make it make sense!

All of it has my intrusive thoughts winning going into tonight’s true road battle. Maybe this team is just weird and it loses at South Carolina before winning three straight against better competition to end the regular season, confusing all of us and not knowing what the heck to think going into the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. It’d only make sense, right?

More than anything, we just can’t have a clean sweep on a graphic. That’d guarantee a loss at Colonial Life. I’ll take one for the team and pick a loss, hoping it’s a reverse jinx.

Score: South Carolina 79, Kentucky 76

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