Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Last night, the Garnet Army was in full force at Colonial Life Arena to support the Gamecock Men's basketball game in a tough match-up. If you don't already know, the University of South Carolina was taking on John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats. Not just any 'Cats team, though. Nope, they are ranked number one in the nation. They were 19-0 coming into the game. In fact, they received a phone call from President Obama yesterday prior to the game, thanking them for their Hoops for Haiti telethon (which raised over $1 million, by the way- props to UK for that!!) and telling them to stay strong and not falter against us because it was a tough place to play.

And a tough place it was! You could hear the excitement and energy that filled the arena even over the TV. Everytime Sandstorm played, the crowd went wild. It was loud. And you know what, it was effective. When all was said and done, the Gamecocks came out victorious 68-62.

Now let me tell you why this was such a large feat to have accomplished. First of all, the University of South Carolina has never- that's right, NEVER- beaten an opponent that was ranked number one at the time. We made school history last night...awesome. Second of all, Kentucky has the largest lineup in the NCAA. Their smallest player is 6'4" and their largest, 6'11" 280 lbs. (DeMarcus Cousins- leading scorer for UK with 27). Our players range from 5'9" to 6'9" and not a one of them is as solid as Cousins. But, we were scrappy last night...grabbing rebounds and blocking shots like giants. Coming into the game, Kentucky was averaging 83 points per game. We held them to 20 less than that number. Our defense just wanted it, I guess!

But, the star of the game, the star of all of our games, was definitely Mr. Devan Downey. He's the smallest guy on the court nearly every time he plays, but he plays like a giant. He scored 30 points last night. He was all over the court, driving past Kentucky players for layups, pulling up for 3 pointers, and carrying the team on his back. Quite an accomplishment for a guy who looks like an elf in comparison to the other players on the court. Tell me another player in the NCAA that's better than Devan Downey, and I'll argue you down. This guy has heart and talent and he plays the game full-on, 90 miles an hour, 100% dedication every time he steps on the court. I just wish we would have been able to see a season with Dominique Archie and Devan Downey on the court as seniors. I think we'd be winning more than we have been, but Dominique Archie went down early this year with a hurt knee and has since had surgery. So bittersweet to see Dominique and Devan after the game last night.

I'm also really impressed with Darrin Horn. He's a great coach, and Lexington, Kentucky native to boot. He's a born and bred Kentuckian. And now he's 3-0 with the Gamecocks against Big Blue. Way to go, Darrin! We love you here in South Carolina!

Please let me be clear that I am under no false pretenses that we will go up to Rupp Arena later this season and get a win. I don't foresee it happening. Kentucky is a great team, full of some freshmen phenoms. If they stick around for a few years, the Cats are going to get even better. With the likes of Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and Orton, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.

But last night, the Gamecocks were the better team. And this morning, I'm damn proud to bleed garnet! So, SEC, send us your $25,000 fine for our students storming the court. We knew the consequences, but we had a team that deserved to celebrate. COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!