KSR Staff Predictions: No. 6 Kentucky vs. Georgia

It’s time for Kentucky‘s first true road game of SEC play, the Wildcats heading down the road to Athens to take on Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs. Sitting at 12-2 on the year with wins over Georgia Tech, St. John’s and Notre Dame with ranked losses to Marquette and Ole Miss — the latter on the road — this one certainly will not be a layup for Mark Pope and his group as they look to leave Stegeman Coliseum with a win.

Coming off the team’s third top-10 win of the season and a jump to No. 6 overall in the AP Poll after beating Florida at home, can the Cats take care of business in game two of the conference schedule? The KSR staff members share their predictions ahead of the 7 p.m. ET tip-off in Athens.

Tyler Thompson

The Cats were the best version of themselves vs. Florida, clicking on both ends of the floor in a high-scoring footrace with the Gators. Tonight, they’ll face a Georgia team that only scored 51 points at Ole Miss, one point fewer than Kentucky had in the first half vs. Florida.

Although the Bulldogs average 80.4 points per game, that number drops to 65.5 vs. KenPom Top 100 foes. On the other end, they have a top-30 defense, holding opponents to an average of 64.1 points per game. The Cats average 90.2 points per game. Something’s gotta give, and with Koby Brea potentially out, it feels like we’re setting up for an ugly night in the Peach State.

Georgia will do its best to throw Kentucky off with physical play, but the Bulldogs will also have to make some shots to keep up. Freshman Asa Newell, a projected first-round draft pick, could make this one interesting, but as long as the Cats keep their composure (remember, they lost their first true road game at Clemson) and don’t get off to another slow start, they should improve to 2-0 in SEC play.

Score: Kentucky 78, Georgia 76

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Drew Franklin

Georgia is in a good place right now, riding the sixth-longest home winning streak in school history with 11 consecutive victories in Stegeman Coliseum. The Dawgs’ 12-1 non-conference record was the school’s best start in 94 years, and the first SEC game in Athens is a marquee matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats. Adding to the excitement, there are free t-shirts for tonight’s SEC home opener against Kentucky. Again, it’s an exciting time to be Georgia Basketball.

However, the fun will come to an end later tonight when Otega Oweh and his Kentucky teammates beat Georgia on its own floor. Wearing the Kentucky blues, Oweh will lead the Wildcats in scoring with his fifteenth double-figure game. He will also look like the best NBA prospect on the floor in a game that includes Asa Newell, currently a fringe lottery pick in the mocks.

Oweh will shine for Kentucky in front of balanced supporting performances from Robinson, Carr, WIlliams, Butler, and, hopefully, Brea, whose status is still uncertain. With or without Brea, the Cats remain unbeaten in the SEC to control their own destiny.

Score: Kentucky 82, Georgia 77

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Nick Roush

The Cats are 2-point favorites on the road. You’re not going to be able to say that often in SEC play. However, this one has me a little worried because of the style of play.

Georgia ranks No. 241 in adjusted tempo, dead last in the SEC. They’re going to want to slow this down and make it a half-court slugfest. Will Kentucky bite or can Mark Pope’s team dictate the style of play?

I tend to believe it will be more of the former, but there will be a few explosive moments that will put Mike White’s team behind the 8-ball. This team can go on a 10-0 run in the blink of an eye. I’m hoping Jaxson Robinson is the one who can spark a couple of those runs that propels Kentucky to a win. He’s had some fine games, but we’re still waiting on a big game. Hopefully, all of that extra work pays dividends at Stegeman.

Score: Kentucky 79, Georgia 73

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Zack Geoghegan

Asa Newell is going to be a problem inside for Kentucky. He averages more offensive rebounds (3.8 per game) than he does defensive (3.1). The 6-foot-11 future pro brings production to both ends of the floor. Amari Williams needs to come out of the gate throwing the punches, not the other way around like it was against Florida. Former Kentucky commit Somto Cyril brings plenty of size off the bench, too.

Georgia tends to play in the halfcourt and Mike White’s squad has done so rather efficiently so far this season. The Bulldogs excel at scoring inside the arc and getting to the free-throw line. On defense, teams shoot just 28.5 percent from deep against UGA. But Georgia is also prone to turning the ball over, something Kentucky has not taken advantage of this season against previous opponents. Will that change tonight? It might be a slow-paced game if not.

I’m a bit surprised the betting line isn’t leaning more toward Kentucky. Georgia scored just 51 points in its last outing, a 12-point loss to Ole Miss. UK scored 52 points in the first half alone against Florida. The Bulldogs have the juice on defense to keep it a low-scoring game, but can the offense do enough to win a battle that stays in the 60s or 70s? It might not matter if Kentucky scores in the 80s though, which I expect them to do en route to a 2-0 start to SEC play.

Score: Kentucky 86, Georgia 78

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Jack Pilgrim

When you play a league schedule like Kentucky is this go-round, you have to take what the competition gives you. Georgia is a top-40 team in the NET and currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament — undoubtedly a good bunch with name-brand wins over Georgia Tech, St. John’s and Notre Dame. The issue, though, is the Bulldogs are the sixth-worst team left for the Wildcats out of 17 remaining SEC games. When you have 14 total Quad 1 matchups out of 18 league matchups, you have no choice but to find the advantages where you can get them, and one of those happens to be the team’s first true road game in the SEC in Athens.

UGA boasts a ho-hum offense heavily reliant on twos over threes while being just OK on the glass, below average forcing turnovers. Defense is the calling card, ranked No. 22 in 3-point defense, No. 25 in field-goal defense and No. 28 nationally in scoring defense. The Bulldogs score 80.4 points per game on the year — mostly against bad competition — and managed just 51 in Oxford on Saturday, also against a team that is good, not great defensively.

Every team has to have its thing. Diaper dandy Asa Newell is that for Mike White’s group — a very good freshman in the SEC. Somto Cyril is a familiar name and face whose highlights exceed actual on-court production. Just 1-2 combined in Quad 1 and 2 competition vs. 11-0 in Quad 3 and 4 competition is the actual story, though. It’s easy to control the pace of play against nobodies, but what happens against a team putting up 90.2 points per contest on efficient shooting, looking to get out in transition and fire away? If Kentucky learned its lesson against Ohio State, as hoped, this should be a style-of-play battle the Wildcats win handily.

I’m rolling with a feel-good road victory to get things started in league play.

Score: Kentucky 89, Georgia 75

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Adam Luckett

Georgia ranks No. 10 nationally in offensive rebound percentage. That could be a problem on Tuesday night in Athens after what we saw Florida do to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in Rupp Arena. Do not be surprised if this game is clearly undecided at the final media timeout.

The Bulldogs are not that much different than Clemson and have a very similar play style. This will be an offense that will look to pound the paint with post ups but is good enough to be dangerous if the three-point shots are falling. Kentucky is the better team but if UGA succeeds at slowing the pace of play down then there could be some trouble. Defense is also quietly becoming a massive issue for the Wildcats.

This one comes down to the wire. Lamont Butler staying healthy — unlike the Clemson game — will be the difference. Better guard play gets Kentucky a slim road win.

Score: Kentucky 73, Georgia 72

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Kentucky vs. Georgia: How to Watch, Listen

It’s time to settle into the Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday SEC routine. Tonight’s game will feature a new announcing duo. Former Chicago White Sox play-by-play announcer John Schriffen and former Alabama forward Richard Hendrix will call the game on the SEC Network.

• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Television: SEC Network (John Schriffen, Richard Hendrix)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 106 or 190
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard. The KSR Pregame Show will begin 2.5 hours before tip, so 4:30 p.m. ET, on 630 WLAP and affiliates across the state.