Kentucky returns back home tonight after their tough loss on the road in Gainesville, losing 92-83. The Wildcats look to shift their focus on the Georgia Bulldogs who will be coming into Rupp Arena desperate for a win tonight in conference play.
Both Georgia and Kentucky come into tonight’s matchup at 17-8 on the season, however, the Wildcats are 8-4 compared to the Bulldogs’ 5-7 in SEC play. There is a lot on the line for both teams tonight as Kentucky is fighting for a top-four seed in the SEC Tournament and Georgia needs to find some wins fast to make them feel more comfortable about making the NCAA Tournament this spring.
Mark Pope is currently 0-1 against the Georgia Bulldogs in his coaching tenure at Kentucky as the Wildcats traveled to Athens last season to play the Bulldogs where they ultimately fell short, 82-69. This will be the first time hosting them in Lexington as the head coach of the Wildcats, which is a much easier task to ask than playing in any SEC road environment.
Historically the Wildcats have been dominant in this SEC matchup as they are 66-4 against Georgia inside of Rupp Arena. Tonight, if everything goes right, they should add to that win total.
Two Wildcats, Mo Dioubate and Denzel Aberdeen, both met with the media yesterday to discuss the loss to #14 Florida on Saturday and to also preview tonight’s matchup against the Bulldogs.
Kentucky once again will be at a disadvantage as they are going against a full and healthy roster. Kentucky will be without Jaland Lowe (season-ending shoulder injury), Kam Williams (foot injury), and Jayden Quaintance (knee swelling). The Wildcats will be without Lowe for the rest of the year, so let’s get used to that, and you can almost guarantee they’ll be without Williams as well for the season. Jayden Quaintance still has the possibility to return, but it’s really just in the eyes of the beholder. The staff hints at the possibility of returning once healthy but if you ask the fans it seems like none of them believe that for a second.
A few things to keep an eye on against the Georgia Bulldogs:
Three Pointers: Georgia loves to shoot the outside shot. They average nearly 30 three-point attempts per contest and shoot 32% collectively.
Offensive Rebounding: Kentucky has struggled with letting teams get offensive rebounds over them and then they usually lead to second-chance points for the opponent. Georgia is really good at this as they are 12th in the country at offensive rebounds with nearly 12 per game, so, if they can limit this as much as possible it will eat away at one of their strengths.
To recap, Kentucky cannot leave guys open from behind the arc and they have to try to contain the rebounding battle within the post. These two are a must.
A few names for you to keep an eye on this evening in the red and black jerseys:
Jeremiah Wilkinson: The 6’1″ guard averages 17.1 points per game and was just made available on the SEC’s Initial Report last night.
Adding to that, he’s totaled 41 steals on the season and has a high shooting percentage at 41.9% (from the field) and 33.9% from beyond the three-point line. Wilkinson is Georgia’s biggest scoring threat as he has scored 20+ points on 8 different occasions and 30+ twice. He’s been out the last two games in which Georgia’s suffered a 20-point loss to Florida and a 16-point loss at Oklahoma.
Blue Cain: The 6’5″ guard averages 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs. Like Wilkinson, Cain also shoots the ball significantly well at 46.4% overall, but his drops off a little from deep, shooting only at 27.9% from the three. However, Cain is by far one of Georgia’s better free throw shooters at 89.4% on the season, so if it gets down to it, you know who will be trying to win them the game.
Somto Cyril: Standing at 6’11”, the center — and one time Kentucky commit — averages 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Cyril also shoots 74.8% from the field, so when he gets the ball in the paint he is likely going to score. He’s a rim-to-rim runner that dunks with Shaq-like force. He can be a bully in the paint on any given night. His 2.5 blocks per game is good enough for 10th best in the country and number 1 overall in the South Eastern Conference.
Despite Georgia averaging 90.3 points a game, the Wildcats are still getting a ton of credit from Vegas. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Wildcats as a 6.5 point favorite in tonight’s matchup.
Ultimately, I feel good about Kentucky’s chances in what feels like a must-win game but if they were for some reason to over look this Georgia team then this one could get ugly quick. I predict Kentucky will win in a close one, with a final score of 84-81.
What are your thoughts and predictions for tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments!
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