A routine Kentucky blowout Saturday against what is supposedly the second-best team in its own conference was hijacked by the news of an ankle injury to Wildcats star point guard De'Aaron Fox.
Before we get to that, here are the vitals: No. 5 Kentucky knocked off 24th-ranked South Carolina 85-69, got to 17-2 overall and maintained its status as one of the best teams in America. Especially impressive was how Kentucky was able to fend off South Carolina's occasional pushes to make it a close game, only to shrug off the runs and establish its dominance again.
Takeaways
1. Sleep easy, Kentucky fans
For about 90 minutes, the Kentucky faithful were a bit nervous with the Fox injury. He tweaked his right ankle while making a drive to the hoop. Not long after that, he was in a walking boot. We now know it was just a precaution. Coach John Calipari said afterward that Fox's ankle showed no signs of swelling and that the injury might have been a "stinger."
Heck, even during Derek Willis' awesome slam, you saw Fox rise up and cheer. He didn't seem to be too bothered or in pain.
So it's likely nothing too big, but at this point we're not totally certain Fox will play in Kentucky's next game Tuesday at Tennessee.
2. If Fox is out, Briscoe runs point
Don't think Kentucky's deep? Well, think again. Though Fox is Kentucky's best all-around player, Isaiah Briscoe is a sophomore with experience running some offense. And he'll be able to step in with confidence and take over for Fox if need be.
Briscoe is underrated, and he's averaging better than 15 points and four assists. He's a great combo guard, not to mention a really good defender. If Fox is held out against Tennessee, the Wildcats should be fine with Briscoe in charge.
Plus, if Malik Monk keeps lighting it up, Kentucky is in no danger. He had 27 points Saturday, and he's on his way to putting up one of the best scoring seasons by any freshman in SEC history. For the eighth time this season, Monk buried at least four 3-pointers.
3. The SEC further hurt its reputation
Last week I wrote about how it's not about if Kentucky wins, but how Kentucky demolishes SEC competition. I'm well aware that South Carolina was without its second-best player, P.J. Dozier, but then Kentucky -- without its best player -- continued to show why it's so good after Fox went out. UK doesn't wither even when it loses a starter. South Carolina also entered the day as the No. 1 defensive team in the country on a points-allowed-per-possession basis, yet Kentucky scored 85 points on 48 shots and did most of that without its starting point guard.
So the Gamecocks can't keep it close. So let's look elsewhere around the league. Did you see what Florida did? Lost at home to sub-.500 Vanderbilt. Gators are supposed to be the third-best team in the league. The fourth-best? Well, it could be Georgia or Texas A&M, but their game on Saturday ended in embarrassing fashion. Arkansas handled LSU, but that game doesn't even blip within the league. More and more, it's looking like the SEC will have to settle for three bids, and four is the best-case scenario.
Kentucky will just blow through this conference. I'm not willing to declare UK will run the table, because it's absolutely possible one team gets Kentucky in its building and has a huge night, but Kentucky is at worst going to finish the regular season in league play at 17-1. UK is now 7-0 in conference play, the third time that's happened under Calipari. Kentucky is yet to shoot under 50 percent against SEC competition.
