By Boyd Hayes | @KernelHayes

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Sophomore guard Bria Goss explained her performance in No. 9 UK Hoops’ second loss of the season three weeks ago at No. 16 South Carolina, saying that even the best have off nights.

“I mean, Kobe had four points last night.”

On this particular off night, the Cats were held to just 50 points and Goss went 1-of-7 from the field for two points in 23 minutes on the court.

Since that day, the Cats have advanced to a 9-2 SEC record (21-3 overall) and are set for a rematch at home against the Gamecocks. Goss said there’s a difference between this week’s team and the one that lost at South Carolina three weeks ago.

“We got our hunger back,” Goss said. “I feel like at South Carolina we weren’t as hungry for whatever reason, and Coach Mitchell has done a great job of getting us back to that level.”

In the games since the South Carolina loss, Goss has taken on a new role for the Cats. After being named a starter in each of the first 22 games of the season, Goss has come off the bench in the past two, being replaced in the starting lineup by junior guard Kastine Evans.

Since making the switch, Goss has scored 17 points at Arkansas and 15 at Vanderbilt. Goss said her position off the bench has challenged her to do some things differently.

“(I’ve) just been seeing how the game’s being called, analyzing, getting my mental focus together and being able to cheer on my teammates.”

Even with Goss’ prolific performances and a season-high 28 points from senior guard A’dia Mathies, wins just haven’t come easily for the Cats. Head coach Matthew Mitchell said UK’s opponents have been stepping their game up.

“Teams have been maybe a little more amped up (against us) because we were picked to win the league, we’re the highest ranked team in the league and we have a reputation for being pretty tough on defense,” Mitchell said. “Those kind of things I think all mix in together to raise a team’s level.”

After the South Carolina loss, the Cats rolled LSU and then faced a stretch of “amped up” opponents.

Georgia fought back from several double-digit deficits to hand UK its first home loss since the 2010-11 season.

Then the Cats went on the road to Arkansas and had to force overtime before coming away victorious.

With a 22-point win at Vanderbilt under their belts, the Cats now return to Memorial Coliseum to have another go at the Gamecocks. South Carolina is 8-3 in the SEC and 20-4 overall, reeling from a two-point loss to Texas A&M. Matching UK statistically, the Gamecocks lead the SEC in defense, allowing 47.8 opponent points per game, as well as carrying a +9.4 rebounding margin.

With the top of the SEC in flux, the Cats and the Gamecocks are set to tip at 7 p.m. Thursday in Memorial Coliseum.

The Cats will be in pink uniforms to raise awareness for the Play 4Kay program and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.