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Carolina failed in its quest to become the second team to go 16-0 in SEC play, falling in their final regular-season game at Kentucky. The Gamecocks will now share the SEC regular-season title with fellow one-loss Tennessee, although Carolina gets the top seed in the SEC Tournament by virtue of having beaten the Vols head-to-head.
Kentucky won this game at the line. The 'Cats reached the charity stripe 15 times more than Carolina and made 17 more shots. They shot 77% to Carolina's 50%. Free-throw shooting has been one of Carolina's few weaknesses this season, and that weakness likely cost the Gamecocks a historic achievement tonight.
Perimeter play also hurt Carolina in this game. The Gamecocks were 6-22 from beyond the arc. They got some looks but couldn't convert. One player who really struggled was Bianca Cuevas. At mid-season when she was playing well, I was hoping Cuevas would be able to help us address our perimeter shortcomings down the stretch, but that hasn't turned out to be the case. She's talented but needs serious coaching.
Let's hope Carolina takes this loss as motivation to improve and win the SEC Tournament.