In March, the name of the game is to survive and advance. The Wildcats did just that yesterday as they picked up their second win of the season against the (16) LSU Tigers with a final score of 87-82 in the SECT First Round.

Today Kentucky will get another chance against the (8) Missouri Tigers in hopes of getting revenge for that devastating loss suffered back on January 7th in Rupp Arena. It was a brutal loss and definitely one you felt disappointed in giving up. The Wildcats led Missouri with a score of 66-58 with 4:30 left in the game but ultimately let the Tigers go on a 15-2 run down the stretch which ended up in a 73-68 Kentucky loss. That Missouri win would also be their first in program history as they were 0-9 all time in Rupp Arena before that game.

The rematch is set for 12:30 PM EST/11:30 AM CT today in Bridgestone Arena with an opportunity to advance to the Quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament with the win. The winner of this matchup has a date set on Friday with the (1) Florida Gators at 1:00 PM ET/12:00 PM CT.

Like we’ve seen from Kentucky this year, Missouri’s wins/losses will also have you scratching your head. They have wins over Florida, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, however, they have some extremely bad losses as well against two of the worst teams in the conference in LSU and Ole Miss. They’ve also lost in a neutral court game to Illinois this year, and while the Fighting Illini are a very good team, it was still by a whopping 43 points.

Not saying today’s game is a must-win game for the Tigers but a lot of bracketologists have them hovering around as an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament. So, to ensure that they are in the Big Dance they would be extremely better off with a win today against the ‘Cats.

Keys to victory for Kentucky:

Improve on the defensive side. Kentucky’s defense yesterday against LSU was abysmal. Kentucky let the Tigers shoot a combined 50% from the field. The only reason we are getting prepared for another game in the SEC Tournament today and not returning back home to Lexington is because the Tigers managed to shoot 5/20 from beyond the arc. If Kentucky lets Missouri get this many open looks then it could be a long, disappointing day for the Wildcats. It took until the final minutes of the game to defeat the worst seed in the bracket.

Kentucky really is a three-headed beast when it comes to its scoring output. The three guards, Oweh, Aberdeen, and Chandler, all combine for most of the team’s points with them averaging 41 of their 81 PPG average. Missouri is the exact same way. Their big three consists of Mark Mitchell, Jayden Stone, and Trent Pierce, that average 42 of their 80 PPG.

When Kentucky faced up against Missouri in January they were able to contain Pierce to just 5 total points. On the other hand, the other two guards in Mitchell and Stone combined for 41 against the Wildcats, making up for the drop-off in Pierce’s game and still hitting that total average mark. Now, I know it seems like an obvious strategy in trying to contain these three guards but that has to be the game plan for Mark Pope and his staff because if Missouri was to win this is how they’d do so. Kentucky cannot let them get started early and they have to make them earn everything by having someone else on the team beat you instead. This is the scouting report and if those three aren’t limited then you’ve failed the scouting report and will likely lose the game.

With all being said, maybe I am looking through blue-tinted glasses but it feels like this team is starting to get some things figured out, especially offensively. It’s going to take random performances from unexpected players to help Kentucky make a run in March. Andrija Jelavic and Brandon Garrison had some really good minutes yesterday, now, who’s next?

Kentucky is a 3.5 point favorite according to Draftkings Sportsbook and that feels about right if you ask me. I am expecting another dog fight tomorrow from both teams. Missouri is looking to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament and Kentucky is looking to build some momentum to make a March Madness run. I think Kentucky wins this one with a final score of 82-77. What are your thoughts and score prediction? Leave them in the comments.

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