COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Kentucky coach Tubby Smith couldn't tell from three days of practice if the Wildcats (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP) were ready for South Carolina.

It only took him only a few minutes of Saturday night's 64-48 victory to find out.

"I was really concerned about how we were going to respond" after Tuesday night's loss to Auburn, Smith said. "You wonder how your guys are going to recover with classes starting, probably girlfriends and friends showing back up at school. But we do have players who have been in the program and know what we expect."

Players like Jamaal Magloire, a senior who scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, and Jules Camara, a sophomore who had 12 points and 10 rebounds in his most extensive action this season.

"Somebody has to be a leader, step up, set the tone for the game, and that's what I did," said Magloire, who also had three steals and crashed into the courtside table with his team ahead 14 points.

The Wildcats (11-5, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed Auburn by 14 in the first half Tuesday night on the way to a 66-63 loss. They made sure not to repeat that mistake, using a 14-2 run midway through the opening period to grab a 25-14 lead and beat the Gamecocks for the sixth straight time.

"I thought we had a pretty good outing and executed real well," said Smith.

South Carolina (9-7, 1-2) had taken undefeated Syracuse to overtime Thursday night before losing 77-74. But the Gamecocks had little pep in this one. They were 7 of 25 from the field in the opening half and only 13 of 48 overall. South Carolina ended with 17 turnovers and just 13 field goals.

After Chuck Eidson's 3-pointer gave South Carolina a 12-11 lead, the Gamecocks went almost six minutes without a field goal and the game was pretty much over.

"I don't believe 19- and 20-year-olds get tired, so don't ask me that," said South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler. "Mentally, it began to look like we said this is one of those days where nothing is going to go."

About everything went in for Magloire and Camara. Magloire made six of eight shots and Camara five of six, all from within three feet. Marvin Stone, a 6-10 freshman reserve, went of one of two from inside.

"Our post players came to play, they come to play every day," said Saul Smith. "There's not a big number of them, but they're pretty big. We're talented down there."

Take away the inside production from Kentucky's 25-for-49 shooting and its a more ordinary performance. "If we get this type of play inside, we don't necessarily need the outside," coach Tubby Smith said.

Magloire opened Kentucky's first-half run and Saul, the coach's son, closed it on consecutive driving layups.

And Magloire didn't quit when the game got comfortable, crashing over the courtside media table head first after chasing a loose ball early in the second half.

Even though his coach couldn't tell, Magloire promised that the Wildcats were hungry and prepared to win their first road game of the season.

"We're confident, we're not cocky," he said. "We have to have that attitude, we have to believe we can come out every game like this."

The closest South Carolina, which trailed 37-23 at the half, got after the break was 13. Kentucky eventually built a 57-37 lead with four minutes left on Tayshaun Prince's 3-pointer.

Prince finished with 13 points for the Wildcats.

Antonio Grant, 0-for-3 in the opening half, scored 11 to lead South Carolina.

It was the largest defeat of the season for South Carolina, and 22 points below its scoring average.