Archive for January, 2010

NCAA hopes, post-Kentucky

Devan Downey sounded a bit like a bracketologist on Wednesday when he was asked about South Carolina’s NCAA tournament chances, after the win over No. 1 Kentucky.
“That’s probably the biggest thing I thought about during the Florida game: That would’ve been a huge road victory as far as our resume,” Downey said. “But this one [...]

Horn, the day after

Just got off a teleconference with Darrin Horn. His voice was a bit hoarse by the end, but here are some highlights.
- He said he got “a few hours” of sleep before hitting the recruiting trail today. And by the way, what a good day to do so.
“Obviously it makes a big difference when you [...]

What Downey is doing

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Devan Downey’s season so far: He hasn’t been named SEC player of the week yet.
I suspect that might change soon.
There’s this too: His 30-point performance against Kentucky actually resulted in his scoring average in SEC games going down.
How ridiculous is the fact Downey is now averaging 31.3 points in [...]

National reaction

You know you’re having a special night when the current Heisman Trophy winner is praising you.
During the waning minutes of Devan Downey’s latest, and greatest, performance, Alabama tailback Mark Ingram was extolling Downey’s virtues via Twitter. When it ended, Ingram wrote that he “respects the heart and passion Devan Downey played with tonight. The man [...]

Downey on Obama

Devan Downey’s post-Kentucky press conference ended on a joking note.
Someone asked the star of the night whether he was aware that earlier in that day President Obama had said Kentucky “should be all right” after finding out the Wildcats were playing South Carolina. Obama’s words broadcast on a phone a few feet from where Downey [...]

Obama: USC a ‘tough place to play’

For those of you who don’t like President Obama, he gave you some more ammunition on Tuesday afternoon.
But the nation’s No. 1 ranking basketball fan also had something nice to say about the Gamecocks.
The occasion was a congratulatory phone call from the President to the Kentucky Wildcats, thanking them for raising more than $1 million [...]

Q&A with a Kentucky writer

This was a popular feature during football season, and considering the circumstances, I figured it was as good a time as any to break it out for basketball. Brett Dawson covers Kentucky for the Louisville Courier-Journal, and graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the Wildcats and Tuesday night’s matchup.
As you can see, Brett [...]

Pre-Kentucky notes

OK, it’s Monday, time to plan out the week. I see the Gamecocks have a Tuesday game this week, at home, against … let’s see here … Kentucky. Hmm, they any good?
As we get ready for the first No. 1 team to visit Columbia in 33 years, here are a few notes:
- Everyone knows about [...]

Those final 22 seconds

A few thoughts The Morning After from Gainesville:
- What more can you say about Devan Downey? The buzz in the media room after the game was about 75 percent on the USC point guard, 25 percent on Chandler Parsons’ game-winning shot.
The consensus was that it’s too bad the country as a whole won’t see a [...]

Horn presses on

The easy question, after watching Vanderbilt burn South Carolina’s press over and over on Saturday, is whether USC is going to try a change of pace. Literally, a change of pace.
I suspected the answer was no. Coach Darrin Horn confirmed that Tuesday.
“I don’t think so,” Horn said. “It’s what we need to do to have [...]