Georgia was Clemson all over again, from the physicality to the stats and the courtstorming

If Kentucky’s loss to Georgia looked familiar, it’s because we already saw that game in December. It was a similar script to the game at Clemson: first Tuesday of the month, a hostile road atmosphere, an opponent traditionally known for football, free t-shirts because Kentucky was in town, and a court-storming in the end.

The actual games played out similarly on the court, too. Where should we start? How about the starts? At Clemson, Kentucky fell into a hole that it couldn’t escape because the Wildcats couldn’t match Clemson’s physicality from the beginning. The Tigers dominated the glass early and used a late first-half run to take a lead into halftime, one Kentucky couldn’t overcome.

Georgia did the same, going on a 15-4 run into halftime, where the Dawgs led on the glass, 21-15. The difference in physicality was glaring in both games. Kentucky was outmatched and out-toughed from the tip in the two losses.

Kentucky also shot poorly at Clemson and Georgia, another recipe for disaster. The Wildcats went 7-for-27 from 3 at Clemson and 6-for-25 from 3 at Georgia, two of the worst 3-point shooting games of the season. Otega Oweh missed several open looks in both games, going 1-for-8 from 3, while Clemson and Georgia banked in 3-pointers on the other end. “It’s one of those nights,” was said throughout many households in Kentucky after banked-in 3s in each game.

Guess the only two games Kentucky had more turnovers than assists this season? Clemson and Georgia. Kentucky entered the Georgia game ranked first in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1) before eight assists and 14 turnovers in Athens.

Foul trouble rattled UK in both losses, too. At Clemson, Lamont Butler’s early foul trouble sent him to the bench while Clemson made its big run. Amari Williams was the starter with early foul trouble against Georgia.

Some of Kentucky‘s key players didn’t play to their standard at either Clemson or Georgia, leaving their teammates to carry the load of playing from behind. Andrew Carr played poorly in both losses, scoring six and five points on a combined 3-for-14 shooting in Kentucky’s two road games. Koby Brea hit only three 3s in the two losses. Jaxson Robinson didn’t shoot well against Clemson, though his worst game of the season was in Athens.

A physical opponent, missed 3-pointers, a backward assist-to-turnover, a road whistle, and player no-shows; all plagued Kentucky in its only two road games this season, each resulting in an ugly loss.

Moving forward, the Wildcats have a short window to clean up those issues because they’re back on the road Saturday, playing at 14th-ranked Mississippi State, one of the most physical and defensive-minded teams in the conference. Hopefully, Kentucky fans don’t watch the same game for a third time, or it may be indicative of a long SEC road ahead outside of Rupp Arena.