Terrence Jones and the Wildcats played like the nation's #1 team Saturday night

If ever a basketball game was over at halftime, this one was. 

Top ranked Kentucky built a 52-25 halftime lead, largely on uncontested alley-oop dunks to a variety of their talented big men, and went on to an 86-52 victory over USC Saturday night at a Colonial Life Arena that more often than not sounded like Rupp Arena. 

Thousands of Kentucky fans filled the usually empty seats at the CLA to give the Wildcats a home court feeling, and they responded in kind with one of their most lopsided wins of the season.  Kentucky improved to 23-1 overall and 9-0 in the SEC.  USC fell to 9-13 and 1-7. 

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Tomorrow night’s game tips off at 6:00 at Colonial Life Arena.

 AUDIO: Darrin Horn previews Kentucky

Grady Brown

Below USC’s offical release announcing Grady Brown as its new secondary coach.  We’ve also included an interview we did with Brown Friday afternoon.  Please enjoy.

AUDIO: Grady Brown on SportsTalk First Edition

USC  head football coach Steve Spurrier has added former Southern Miss assistant Grady Brown to his coaching staff, it was announced today. Brown will serve as the Gamecocks’ secondary coach and assistant special teams coordinator in 2012.

“We’re pleased to announce the hiring of Grady Brown, a sharp, young defensive secondary coach who has had much success the last three years at Southern Miss,” said Coach Spurrier. “He will also assist Joe Robinson with the special teams. He and Joe were together at LSU and know each other well. He will fit in extremely well here and be an excellent addition to our staff.”

Brown, 34, has spent the past two seasons as the Golden Eagles’ cornerbacks coach. During the 2011 campaign, Southern Miss was No. 7 nationally in pass efficiency defense (108.47 rating) and set an NCAA record for interceptions returned for touchdowns with eight. As a unit, the Golden Eagle defense finished the season as a Top-30 defense.

In his first year at USM, Brown, who was hired just prior to the start of fall camp, quickly instilled a toughness and physicality into his corners that amounted to a pair of freshman being selected to the All Freshman squad.

“I’m excited to work with Lorenzo Ward, someone I’ve known since I was 17,” said Brown. “It should be a smooth transition and a blessed opportunity for me to work with someone I’ve known for such a long time. I also am excited to have the opportunity to work with Coach Spurrier. He is such a well-respected coach and has done some great things here at South Carolina. I’m looking forward to becoming part of the Gamecock family.”

Brown came to Southern Miss after spending the previous year and a half working in the strength and conditioning area at LSU, where he helped tutor NFL third-round pick Chad Jones and free agent signees Danny McCray and Chris Hawkins.

Brown went to LSU after working a season at Texas Southern where he was the safeties coach and also the community outreach liaison.

His arrival to TSU came after a six-year stint as the secondary coach at Alabama State. While at ASU, the Hornets’ defense finished ranked in the Top 10 nationally in six team categories and once for an individual. In his first season at ASU, Brown mentored Antoine Hill who finished third in the country in interceptions with 10, while the squad ranked seventh in both turnovers gained and interceptions. The team won the Southwestern Athletic Conference crown in 2003 and then the league’s overall title in 2004, in which his defensive squad ranked seventh in turnovers gained and ninth in rushing defense.

During his time at ASU, Brown served two NFL Minority Coaching Internships, first with the Seattle Seahawks in 2004, then with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007. He also served as the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach for the Magnolia All-Star Football Classic in 2005.

Brown began his coaching career in 2000 at his alma mater, Alabama A&M, before being promoted to the rank of a full-time assistant coach for the 2001 campaign.

After completing his high school career at Wenonah High School in Birmingham, Ala., Brown played defensive back for Alabama A&M from 1995 through 1998. After his senior season, he played one season with the Tennessee Valley Vipers in the Arena Football League.

Born June 13, 1977, Brown graduated from Alabama A&M with a degree in mathematics education in 2000. He is married to Rashidah Brown.

Dawn Staley

The USC women’s basketball team rolled into Knoxville Thursday night and upset the eigth ranked Tennessee Lady Vols 64-60.  The win is easily one of the biggest in program history for the Lady Gamecocks.  Their last  and only other win over the Lady Vols came on January 23rd, 1980 when a man named Jimmy Carter was occupying the White House.  USC had lost 40 straight to UT since that game.

It’s also been a decade since the Lady Gamecocks beat a top ten, and 11 years since they did it on the road.  The 8th ranked Lady Vols are the highest ranked team coach Dawn Staley has notched a win against in her career.

Damontre Harris played big for USC in the loss to Florida Thursday night

Story from USC Sports information:

USC  pulled within six points, but solid free throw shooting down the stretch saw No. 12/11 Florida escape with a 74-66 win in SEC action at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville on Thursday night. The Gamecocks fall to 9-12, 1-6 SEC with the loss, while Florida improves to 18-4, 6-1 in league play.

Sophomore forward Damontre Harris had an impressive night for the Gamecocks with a near double-double, scoring 12 points, collecting nine rebounds and matching a career high with six blocks. Sophomore guard Bruce Ellington added 15 points and three assists.

Florida was led by junior guard Kenny Boynton with 24 points, while senior guard Irving Walker added 14 and freshman Bradley Beal added 17 and 11 rebounds.

After trailing by as many as 17 midway through the first half, the Gamecocks used a 9-1 run over the final 3:52 to pull within nine at the halftime break. Ellington led the Gamecocks with eight points in the set, with Harris adding six and four blocks.

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