Kentucky basketball lost to lowly South Carolina on Jan. 10.

The Wildcats sat at 10-6 on the season without a resume win and in serious trouble, despite a uber-talented lineup. Instead of folding, Kentucky used the loss as fuel.

The Wildcats have since rattled off 4 wins, including its best of the season over Tennessee in Knoxville. They also downed Texas A&M earlier last week and took care of business against Vanderbilt Tuesday night.

Following the game, Kentucky PF Jacob Toppin was asked where the sudden intensity came from. According to the junior, the change in results came from the team operating as one and trusting each other.

The lineup of Toppin, Oscar Tshiebwe, Cason Wallace, Antonio Reeves and CJ Frederick has easily been their best. Former starting PG Sahvir Wheeler has been given less responsibility and things have simply run more smoothly since. The tough times were not necessarily because of Wheeler, but because the change allows the rest of the team to fit into their roles better.

Also, the more freshman PG Cason Wallace the better right now for Kentucky. The Wildcats have another big test Saturday against Kansas.