Mo Dioubate talks 'fighting through adversity' in win at South Carolina

Dioubate helped Kentucky secure a much-needed victory on Tuesday.

Feb 17, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Mouhamed Dioubate (23) celebrates after getting fouled against the Georgia Bulldogs at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

It's no secret that Kentucky was in a desperate situation on Tuesday at South Carolina. After that three-game losing streak to Florida, Georgia and Auburn, they couldn't let yet another game slip away from them, let alone making it three-straight to bad teams, to put it bluntly. It was a spot Kentucky needed to avoid, especially considering they are teetering with the 9 seed in the SEC Tournament, while their NCAA Tournament hopes could have been in question with a loss.

But, they did not let the noise and the pressure get to them, at least that's what the final score entails. The Wildcats left with the much-needed win following a late-game run that helped them pull away. South Carolina came in 3-11 in the conference. It would have been embarrassing not only given the spot they are in with their season, but also given the fact that this was a team you should beat. They did it, but in very ugly fashion and their response was tested once again.

Over the last ten days, Kentucky has had some eventful experiences, all in bad ways. Coming short of beating Florida off of a too-late comeback attempt, getting stunned at home against a desperate Georgia team and then playing another desperate squad at Auburn on Saturday that ended with what was a controversial call. After the game, Mark Pope admitted the losing streak took an 'emotional toll' on his team. Faced with adversity, the Wildcats overcame the hardship in what was a grind of a game against South Carolina.

Feb 24, 2026; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Mouhamed Dioubate (23) shoots over South Carolina Gamecocks forward Christ Essandoko (2) during the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Mo Dioubate, who was a legit difference-maker for Kentucky in the second half, even down the stretch, spoke after the game about how the team just continues to respond many times this season when they are facing hard times and all odds are against them.

"Although we started very slow today, first half and second half, we stuck together," Dioubate said of his team against South Carolina. "First half, we let up a lot of threes. That was in the game plan. We had a little adversity, but we fought through it. Shout out to my team again, and coach, he kept motivating us throughout the tough times, throughout this game, and we fought through it. We've been doing that all year. ...This is a bounce back win. We needed this one very bad on the road. We had adversity as usual, but we stuck with it and we got the W and that's what matters."

Dioubate, along with his fellow bigs, provided big sparks in Kentucky's response to adversity in the game, but it was the 6-7 forward's play that has been the most talked about out of the four big men. He put up 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half, all while adding four rebounds, a block and a steal, which also came in the final half. As you can tell, Dioubate came up big. Even with how ugly the game went offensively, including a rare single-digit performance from Otega Oweh, his impact on defense was huge. South Carolina pulled within two points multiple times late, including with 2:52 left, but that's when the Wildcats finished things off.

Now, Dioubate will look to carry over that performance and make it contagious so that his teammates can pick up some of that energy he seemed to play with. They will need it on Saturday in a very pivital game for the SEC standings, with both Kentucky and Vandy sitting close together.