The Wildcats keep getting tested, and while it’s not always pretty, they keep passing.
The latest challenge was for Kentucky to play a top-25 team without De’Aaron Fox for almost the entire game. The 24th-ranked Gamecocks came into Rupp with an unbeaten mark when Sindarius Thornwell plays, and it was evident why.
The senior guard scored a career-high 34 points, but Kentucky got 27 from Malik Monk, enough to notch an 85-69 win. Fox left in the first half with an ankle injury before returning to the bench in the second half wearing a protective boot.
Bam Adebayo had one of his better games this season, scoring 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with three boards and two steals.
Here is the final box score from win No. 17 for the Cats:
Here are the highlights: