In one of the biggest games to ever be played at Colonial Life Arena, the atmosphere was awesome. I don’t think I sat down the entire 2nd half. The Garnet Army was on their game, from chanting SAT when John Wall was on the free throw line to rushing the court after the final seconds tick off the clock. Even the student who was punched twice in the face by Kentucky’s center Demarcus Cousins as the fans rushed the court after the game should get a salute. Downey might be the heart and soul of this Gamecock team but every player stepped up last night to make it a great team win.
We salute you USC front court, for being out sized and over matched for most of the night. You played your hearts out and keep Kentucky’s big mean off the boards. 20 offensive rebounds is quite impressive against anybody, it is outstanding against the #1 team in the country. Sam, Austin and
We salute you Stephen Spinella, you might not have done much on offense but you keep John Wall in check for a large part of the 2nd half. Your defense and hustle was quite impressive against the #1 player in the country. Some even say John Wall is the best player to come out of high school since Lebron James.
We salute you Brandis Raley-Ross for being about to make clutch free throws and some nice shots. Without your 17 points this game could have had a different outcome.
We salute you Austin Steed, you might have been in foul trouble for most of the night, but your block on John Wall’s layup at the end of the game was huge.
We salute you Garnet Army and Gamecock Faithful, last night you gave it your all and it paid out in the end. To see the disbelief on the hundreds of Kentucky fans that were at the game was awesome. The Garnet Army keep the intensity up pretty much the whole game, and I feel the team really feed of the extra energy that was in the building last night.
Downey notched his mark in the USC record book and I having a feeling this win might propel this team to do some great things this year.
Also thanks for the great picture Ryan C.
