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Kentucl Wildcats Jto] LARRY WILLIAMS Senior Writer 1 The stage is set. By beating LSU 80-65 Saturday, ^ the men's basketball team made what so many had been looking j forward to for so long realistic?big- ] time basketball at Frank McGuire Arena, something that's been missing } for quite some time in Columbia. . The No. 25 Gamecocks (15-5), ^ who in December lost to UNCAsheville and Charleston Southern ] during a disheartening 5-5 start, < have undergone a dramatic ] renaissance during the past month, winning 10 straight games to gain ^ sole possession of first place in the j SEC East with a perfect 9-0 conference record. ( That's first place ahead of the < No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats, who come . to Columbia tomorrow for a 9:30 j p.m. showdown with South Carolina. Kentucky, which slipped up Jan. < 11 by losing to the Ole Miss Rebels, ] i._ t? i, * A comes lu r i aniv ivicvjuire /\i ena , looking to take away what South ( Carolina has gained during its winning streak. ( Kentucky isn't used to being in second place in the SEC, having j won 37 SEC championships in their ( rich basketball history. < Head coach Rick Pitino is used to seeing the Gamecocks in his rear i view mirror rather his front ] windshield. Kentucky holds a decisive 17-2 j series lead, and a 6-2 lead on the Gamecocks at Frank McGuire Arena. South Carolina's last win was a miraculous, 75-74 win over the 'Cats in 1994. ] So, fans of Kentucky and USC , want to know, just how good are these Gamecocks? Chances are, they and the nation < will know tomorrow. And, with ESPN's Dick Vitale providing the color commentary for the game, n i ? i i l everyone win Know ioua ana ciear. A halfcourt alley-oop from BJ McKie to Larry Davis with the game tied late will bring shouts from Dickie Vs lungs into the living rooms of America, letting everyone know, yes, these guys are for real. The same play with the . Gamecocks down by 25 will confine Vitale's verbatim to words such as "potential," and "a year away." Potential is what the Gamecocks hope is a thing of the past. They want to win now, and they want to win loudly. And loudness is something that c won't be in short supply at Frank S McGuire Arena Tuesday. C Certainly the game was circled g before the season (as it is every season), but the Gamecocks' t improbable rebirth has only increased 1 the fervor among USC fans. When tickets went on sale to t < SPEC A rvr*1ir?atir 1 Capstone Cc J Must be a rising Senior ( Grade Point Average of Lobby of Capstone be, ^0n^erenC< SPORTS ON WEDNESDi si v ? ?y J ? still a great basketball team." Indeed. Kentucky hasn't missed a beat in the SEC after losing Anderson, having beaten Georgia (twice), Florida, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Auburn by an average of 19 points per game. The Wildcats' success hasn't been confined to the conference, considering their blowout wins over Syracuse, Louisville and Indiana. The Wildcats also blasted UNCAsheville, a team the Gamecocks lost to in December, by a convincing 105-51 score. Senior guard Larry Davis, whose onsistent play has been a key in South Carolina's streak, says the lamecocks must ride the horse that jot them there to play with Kentucky. "We have to approach this game he same way we do every one," Davis said. "We have to go in with intensity, >ut we dont want to be over-pumped Be a part of summer tacula: >ns are now availal >nference Center i Manager Positions )r Graduate Student in Sprip ' 2.5. Applications may be p ginning Jan. 30. Applicatior 3 Assistant applications available i> vs. Ca pe to stop tli [JSC students last week at 9 am, the opening doors found hundreds >f students who had been there since the wee hours of the morning. A few hundred students braved the cold and camped overnight with tiopes of getting tickets for the game. <U1 told, 3,000 tickets were picked ap on the first day of distribution, and the remaining 1,000 were taken the following Tuesday. "This is an anticipated matchup," [JSC coach Eddie Fogler said. ^Everyone is talking about it, because Kentucky is Kentucky." Sophomore guard BJ McKie says the late, 9:30 p.m. start is all the* setter for him. "The time doesn't matter, the iay and place doesn't matter," McKie said. "Everybody would be juiced up and ready to play, even if it was 3 in the morning." A win Tuesday would give the Glamecocks a commanding two-game lead on the Wildcats in the SEC East with eight regular season games to ?oThat, says McKie, is motivation snough to beat Pitino's Posse. "Emotions are going to be high for both teams," McKie said. "We're controlling our own destiny, and we've taken the games one at a time. "It's an important game, because we could go two up on a very good basketball team." A very good basketball team might be putting it lightly. The Wildcats, despite their Jan. 18 loss of team-leader Derek Anderson to a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament, have been playing their best basketball lately, having won six straight games since their Jan. 11 upset loss at Ole Miss. "Derek brought a lot to his team on both ends of the floor," McKie said. ?.n exceptional athlete t.ViAv'ra crrvincr tr? miss hut. t.hev're AY All the stats, pics, and h ?o irolina: ie crowing and do things that will hurt the team/ Kentucky guard Ron Mercer has picked up where Anderson left off, averaging 18.6 points per game. Mercer, a 6-foot-7-inch sophomore, has started all 22 games for .the Wildcats and averages 31.8 minutes per game. South Carolina's inside game will be challenged early and often by 6-foot-10-inch center Nazr Mohammed and 6-foot-9-inch forward Jared Prickett. And, as always, Kentucky can run, play defense, and most of all, shoot the 3-pointer. Of 419 3 pointers attempted, the Wildcats have made 152 for a .363 percentage. Senior guard Anthony Epps leads the team from behind the 3-point arc, having connected on 36 of 99 attempts for a .364 percentage. The impressive stats Kentucky has posted this season can only indicate one thing: same old Wildcats. But considering this might not be the same old South Carolina basketball team, quite a scene could take place tomorrow. "We have to keep a level head," Davis said. "We have to be intense on defense and sharp on offense." McKie says USC will have to take full advantage of Kentucky's mistakes, which are few and far between. "We've got to have a lot of discipline on offense to get the shots we want," McKie said. "We've got to play intense ball on both ends, especially on defense and have a minimum of turnovers." Despite being a freshman, guard Herbert Lee Davis says tomorrow s game will be special for him. "I'm looking forward to playing them," said H.L Davis, who scored 11 points against LSU. "I've wanted to play Kentucky since high school, and now I have my chance." And, after so many years of frustration, South Carolina basketball has a chance as well. Two bathrooms Excellent rooma mention this ad & g lease or $240 of (Sm C 1600 River Wind Dr R'97 ble at the ?or Summer g 1997 with a minimal icked up in the North i deadline is Feb. 13. in March appenings from the Kentucky Kentucky Keep the crowd out of game The Wildcats must control the game and keep the fans in their seats. If the Gamecock faithful get rowdy and excited, Frank McGuire Arena will become a very difficult place to play. Force USC into post play The guard play for USC is definitely the strong point of the Gamecock basketball team. If the Gamecocks are forced to work the ball inside, then there could many missed layups and lots of turnovers. Avoid foul-trouble Against Georgia, Kentucky had four players foul out, leaving them with one player on the bench, and that was before they lost Derrick Anderson. USC has been making their foul shots lately and will make them pay if UK keeps sending them to the line. Merciless Mercer factor If Ron Mercer heats it up from way downtown, then that could mean lots of points on the majority of the - NO WAITING! te plans available. [et $120 off 6 months f 12 month lease. ^ac at. aadreiri ive (803) 772 - 0960 *76& SCU+uk&I Sfteefacut * Conference * Conference * Conference * Conference. ^ qau 4*6 : * A rising Sen a minimal G * Available to 40 hours + d cutd 4*6 iKt&ie&tect u . * * Develop con * Gain Profesi j? * Become acqi * Earn excelle ' St, * Discover the Ijl;* Help confen j[r\. * Receive fina on-campus h board operat 7*t64&6 tAe & &lfatf(XH6 0tfaui&6 la* I First p] G\ROL William Gallman BJ #20 6-7 So. #3 uShkI Me] #1C Jm Ryan Stack Lai #54 6-11 Jr. #4 I A \ t?A THE SPORTS EDITORS y basketball showdown rs L k/ lace on FNAjKEI McKie Anthony I 6-2 So. #25 6-2 S MP Fry Davis RonMerf 6-3 Sr. #33 6-7 S TBVTM X | m J | r aW ? trips downcourt for the Wildcats. And if that happens, USC Handle press effectively The Gamecocks' three guards must be able to break the press and set up the halfcourt offense to be able to score points against the Wildcats. If the Gamecocks can'1 break the midcourt stripe, then Larr> Davis better be able to hit a lot ol full-court shots tomorrow night Minimize turnovers > This goes with the press. Don't let the Wildcats guards steal the ball off the press, and don't get an) i General Advis< For students enrolle i ' WHEN - Tues* WHERE - Collet Ward law TIMES - 4 p.i JI 'eneHce (fatten, k&cv ctcct an, *97. ~76e (adMutKy, ft* Manager for South Campus Manager for Central Campu Manager for East Campus Assistant applications avail* ior or Graduate Student in i rade Point Average of 2.5. work 10 hours weekly begin uring Summer conference s* * cut excitutq, 4u*u*tten lmunication and group lead* sional experience working fo Liainted with USC administr >nt placement and resume re ; inner workings of USC mce guests learn more aboui ncial rewards including $22: ousing at a reduced rate, an ions are open ^OH^eneKce &CHtt a toll afcfclicati&K fuzc&et the line grog Lpps Jared Prickett | p. #32 6-9 Sr. :er Allen Edwards o. #3 6-5 Jr. Li I *" lO^econd violations called Turnovers lead to points, which leads to our next key. UWJJ tuc vauiutj The Wildcats are best known for i their tough defense, and if they force I a few Gamecocks turnovers, then they can go on streaks of 10 or 12 straight points. r Keep Mohammed off the glass f Nazr Mohammed leads the Wildcats in total rebounds with 121. While effective on the defensive end (52 defensive rebounds, 25 blocks i and 25 steals), Mohammed is a terror ! on the offensive glass, with 69 ' offensive rebounds. \ ement Meeting d andlor interested in lay, February 4 ge of Education Room 126 m. OR 5 p.m. tions? 6732 H > yitiKty afiftlico&aHa l&i taCtiona ate cutcUtolle: IS ible in March spring 1997 with ning March and ;ason t&at Ottawa (fau to>: irship skills r USC ators, faculty and staff iferences t our university 2.00 per wefek, d on-campus dining when w CK t6e fta>u6, 0