Nov. 13, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – We are just one day from our season opener versus North Florida, so we take a look at how the number one has impacted the Gamecock record book with an inside look at when the Gamecocks defeated top-ranked Kentucky at Colonial Life Arena during the 2009-10 season.

On January 26, 2010, the Gamecocks downed the #1-ranked Kentucky Wildcats who boasted a flawless 19-0 (4-0 SEC) record when they traveled to Colonial Life Arena. South Carolina carried an 11-8 (2-3 SEC) into the midseason SEC matchup and came in having dropped three consecutive contests. The upset marked the only time in school history that the Gamecocks beat an AP #1-ranked team.

The Gamecocks were led by senior guard Devan Downey, who scored 30 points on solid shooting and a 10-of-11 mark from the free throw line. Junior forward Sam Muldrow scored only nine points, but made his presence known on the defensive end of the court, grabbing 11 rebounds and recording five blocks.

After South Carolina took the lead with just over eight minutes remaining, the teams went basket-for-basket until the two-minute mark when, coming out of a timeout, junior forward Austin Steed made a layup that extended the Gamecock lead to six points. Five clutch free throws from senior guard Brandis Raley-Ross sealed the game for South Carolina.

That season, Kentucky finished 35-3 (14-2), won the SEC regular season title, the SEC tournament, and advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament before falling 73-66 to the #2-seed West Virginia Mountaineers.