The holidays have come and gone, and it’s now time to shift into SEC play for the Kentucky men’s basketball team. The last time Cats Coverage did a game prediction post was for the Ohio State game at Madison Square Garden, all the way back on December 21st. Since then, the Wildcats have gone 1-1, losing against the Buckeyes and defeating Brown University at home.

Kentucky has finished the non-conference at 11-2 overall, with big wins over ranked Duke, ranked Gonzaga, and Louisville.

Kentucky had a much needed “get right” game against Brown after accepting their disappointing 20-point loss to Ohio State in New York, but to nobody’s surprise, Kentucky came out a little bit sluggish again in that one. It was a close score for the first ten minutes until with the help of Andrew Carr that they managed to have a twelve point lead by halftime. Carr led the way with 14 points in the first half.

Three other Wildcats would join him in the double-digit point club throughout the second half. Their combined efforts propelled the Wildcats to a thirty-four point victory in front of 20,000-plus fans. Those three scorers were Amari Williams, Otega Oweh, and Koby Brea who all had thirteen points in the game.

If it wasn’t for Brown’s 23 turnovers this game could have been a lot closer than many would have wanted it. Kentucky still struggled with rebounding, getting out-rebounded 35 to 29. The Bears also got ten offensive rebounds in the matchup.

Kentucky is going to have to clean up several things going into conference play if they want to feel secure on winning, with rebounding being the obvious one. Secondly, Kentucky needs to become more physical. This SEC schedule will be a gauntlet like we probably have never seen before. If Kentucky doesn’t protect the post, they’ll get ate alive. Finally, Kentucky’s key players have to step up in big-time moments. Those, in my opinion, are Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, and Andrew Carr. If you have a game where someone is having an off-night then it is next man up after those four.

I am not saying that this game tomorrow is a make-or-break game for the Wildcats, however, I do think it has the opportunity to set the tone going forward in SEC play. If you lose this game at home, Kentucky has the realistic chance of starting off SEC play 0-3. The next two games on deck for the Wildcats are road games. These include at Georgia next Tuesday and at Mississippi State the following Saturday night. If you win this one, you start off 1-0 with another ranked win under your belt. The 6th rated Gators are undefeated heading into this game, so snapping their streak will surely boost the team’s confidence.

Ultimately, I think Kentucky will manage to squeak out a victory tomorrow afternoon but not by much. I have Kentucky winning 82-79 and the game MVP going to Lamont Butler. It is going to take a double-digit performance from the San Diego State transfer to pull out a victory tomorrow. If you’re going to the rare 11:00 AM tip-off game tomorrow at Rupp Arena, show up and be loud. The Wildcats are going to need every bit of help they can get from the fans.

Some other predictions from Cats Coverage staff include:

Jack Wagner: 78-75, Florida. MVP – Andrew Carr

Tanin Smith: 74-68, Kentucky. MVP – Andrew Carr

Braden Nevius: 83-78, Florida. MVP – Jaxson Robinson

Jacob Childers: 81-71, Florida. MVP – Andrew Carr

Tres Terrell: 85-81, Kentucky. MVP – Andrew Carr

Nate Unthank: 91-89, Kentucky. MVP – Otega Oweh

John Michael Frey: 74-69, Kentucky. MVP – Amari Williams

Ethan Grantz: 91-85, Kentucky. MVP – Lamont Butler

Tim Smith: 82-77, Florida. MVP – Lamont Butler

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