Downey Wins Battle of the Guards in Leading Gamecocks Past Wall, Wildcats

Devan Downey, all 5'10" of him, further proved he is the most valuable player in College Basketball, scoring 30 points in upsetting top-ranked Kentucky. (AP Photo/The State, C. Aluka Berry)

 

With two seconds on the shot-clock, South Carolina's 5′10″ senior guard Devan Downey received an inbounds pass from Brandis Raley-Ross, took the contact from Kentucky Wildcats guard DeAndre Liggins on the right baseline and drained an off-balance 15-footer.

The Gamecocks’ crowd erupted, as a pumped-up Downey was congratulated by his teammates, and then remained on cloud-nine after their star’s free-throw swished through.

Dethroning the top-ranked team in the land, something that had never happened in school history, was a distinct possibility. Downey could feel it. The other four Gamecocks on the floor, their nervous teammates on the bench, and their second-year head coach (whether he would admit it or not) could also feel it.

The 12-7 Gamecocks held a three-point lead, 54-51, and were four minutes and 15 seconds away from possibly dethroning the unbeaten and presumed unstoppable Wildcats.

Kentucky jumped out to a 11-6 lead behind the play of hot-headed freshman DeMarcus Cousins, who made three layups and grabbed four rebounds over the first four minutes. Downey was held scoreless over this span but etched his name in the scoring column following a turnover by Wildcats heralded guard John Wall by hitting a three-pointer.

Downey had another four-minute scoring drought, a dry spell quite rare for the senior, who averaged 21 points per game entering the contest. Although South Carolina only managed three points in these four minutes, Kentucky was also cold, so the margin whittled to one.

Having missed four of his first five shots, Downey found a way to get in a groove without hitting jumpers or layups. Instead, he crashed the boards and did all he could to reach the foul-line. He snatched an offensive rebound with the score 16-12 in favor of the Wildcats and was hacked, resulting in two free-throws. He reached the charity stripe on their next possession as well and hit both.

Three more minutes went by without a point tallied by Downey, and because of his inconsistencies, Kentucky lengthened their lead to six with just over seven minutes to play in the first half. Up to that point, Downey had been held in check, and he only scored four points for the rest of the half, but the final two came near the end on a slashing layup.

Despite his struggles, this drive pulled the Gamecocks within two entering intermission. If he could build off this and find his groove offensively, the Wildcats would have no chance to pull away from their SEC rival.

He started the second half cold, missing his first two attempts, but teammates Johndre Jefferson and Sam Muldrow picked up the slack, scoring a bucket each to slim Kentucky’s advantage to one before the beast awoke. Downey sped downcourt after grabbing a miss by Wall’s backcourt-mate Eric Bledsoe and canned a three-pointer, giving South Carolina their first lead since Muldrow made the first basket of the game.

His team only scored 11 points over the next seven minutes, but nine were scored by someone else, which meant, given they were only down five with a little under 10 minutes remaining, his supporting cast capably held down the fort until their leader felt it was time to erupt.

Then came the time.

He corralled his own miss with the Gamecocks behind 47-42, made a strong layup in traffic, then hit the ensuing free-throw after being hit in the midst of draining just his sixth field goal. Following three empty possessions by both teams, he tied the contest with two free-throws, and then, a few minutes later, executed a pair of plays that screamed National Player of the Year.

He was struggling with his shot, but that didn’t matter. Shooters keep on shooting, and he did. The 15-footer from the baseline as the shot-clock buzzer sounded was trumped by an even more spectacular display on their next possession.

Muldrow swatted Cousins for his fifth block, then grabbed the rebound and handed off to Downey, who dribbled the ball just beyond the three-point line and looked for a seam. He soon found one, but not before toying with Cousins. With the center guarding him, he faked the drive, dribbled calmly back out, then immediately crossed over the big freshman, took two steps, and dropped in a floater over his outstretched hands.

Cousins answered with a tough unorthodox hook and a free-throw, cutting the Gamecocks' lead to two, as the clock ticked under three minutes. Downey proceeded to return the favor in a fancier fashion.

After taking his time out top, he made his move. He drove on the right baseline, spun magically around a cemented Wall, and in one swift motion, hoisted another floater over Cousins. It was his ninth field goal in 28 tries, but the 19 misses were an afterthought. He was too quick for Wall, too crafty for Cousins, and too hard for Kentucky to stop.

With the crowd jumping up and down harmoniously to mesmerizing techno music, Downey received a hug from teammate Stephen Spinella during a timeout called by the Gamecocks. The game was far from over, but this scene—the music and the you-are-our-leader affection for Downey—foreshadowed what would really rock the Gamecocks' arena.

Wall did what he does, hitting a layup and a free-throw with 40 seconds remaining to trim the margin to one. But he and his Wildcats, the team that was just named the nation’s No. 1 the previous day, would lose for the first time, as a few misses and a few free-throws by South Carolina led to a on-rush of exuberant students flooding the floor.

Downey was mobbed as the final buzzer sounded, hugged and congratulated by everyone within reach. He, not Wall, was the star on this thrilling game. The winner of the battle of the guards not only reached the 30-point plateau for the fifth time this season, but also led his team to the biggest win in school history, adding to the growing legend of Devan Downey.