KSR Today: Kentucky heads to Athens for Georgia rematch

Kentucky is back on the road, this time heading to Athens to take on Georgia, the team’s second matchup vs. the Bulldogs this season. Coming off a disappointing home loss to Arkansas on Tuesday that saw the Wildcats fall to 16-8 on the year, Saturday’s battle has unfortunately become a must-win for the program in terms of NCAA Tournament hopes. Lose at Georgia, and it’s not unreasonable to think the Wildcats may be outside the field entirely. At minimum, it puts the pressure on Kentucky to essentially play perfect basketball to close out the regular season, something the Wildcats haven’t proven they’re capable of doing for an extended stretch.

To avoid a really uncomfortable back-against-the-wall reality, you’ve got to win in Athens.

What will that take? Georgia sits at No. 129 in the NET rankings at 14-10 overall and 4-7 in league play, good for No. 11 in the SEC. The Bulldogs average just 69.9 points on 41.8% shooting and 32.6% from three while pulling down just 37.5 rebounds per contest and coming in with a -2.0 turnover margin. Their resume? Well, not good, either. UGA is 0-6 in Quad 1, 3-1 in Quad 2 and just 1-3 in Quad 3 matchups. After a 3-1 start in SEC play, they’ve since lost six of their last seven in the conference, including home losses to Vanderbilt and Ole Miss — both ranked No. 100 or worse in the NET. Their only win since January 14? A three-point home victory vs. South Carolina.

Guards Terry Roberts and Kario Oquendo are the team’s leading scorers, averaging 15.0 points and 12.7 points per contest, respectively. Neither player, though, shoots above 40.3% from the field or 31.3% from three, a key to the team’s issues. The Bulldogs defend hard, allowing just 42.5% shooting and 29.8% from three for opponents, but scoring is hard to come by.

Round one recap

How did things go in the teams’ first head-to-head battle back on Jan. 17? Kentucky came away with an 85-71 victory, led by a historic performance from Oscar Tshiebwe.

The 6-foot-9 center finished with a career-high 37 points on 12-20 shooting and 13-18 at the line to go with 24 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block in 38 minutes. He became the first Wildcat with a 35-point, 20-rebound game since Mike Phillips in 1976 and just the fifth 35-20 game in school history. His 24 rebounds were most for a Division 1 player with a 35-point game in the last 25 seasons.

It was a comeback effort for the Wildcats, who trailed by as many as 11 in the first half and shot just 33.3% from the field and 28.6% from three at the break. Then Tshiebwe broke free after intermission, going for 23 and 15 in the second half alone. The Bulldogs simply had no answer for the Kentucky center, leading to the 14-point home victory.

Time for round two of Tshiebwe’s domination? He sure could use it right about now.

Joe Lunardi says Kentucky is second-to-last team in

The Wildcats desperately need Tshiebwe — or anybody, for that matter — to help will the team to victory down in Athens. Why? A loss could kick Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament completely.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has the Wildcats ranked No. 45 of 46 teams chasing at-large bids. And with a loss, it could “torpedo your season,” he says.

“This is not a great resume,” Lunardi said of Kentucky’s argument for the NCAA Tournament. “Going to Georgia, you’d think, hey, this is going to be a walkover, but it’s also the kind of game that can absolutely torpedo your season. If I’m a member of Big Blue Nation, I am a little bit apprehensive heading down to Athens.”

No choice but to win that one.

Viewing Info, Odds and Predictions

• Date: 12 p.m. ET, Saturday, Feb. 11
• Location: Stegeman Coliseum (Athens, GA)
• TV Channel: ESPN
• Stream: WatchESPN, ESPN+, SEC Network+
• Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens are on the call for UK Sports Network (630 WLAP, 840 WHAS)
• Odds: The official spread has not yet been released, but ESPN’s matchup predictor gives UK a 73.6% chance to pull off the win. KenPom favors the good guys, giving Kentucky a 65% chance to win while predicting a 74-69 victory. Bart Torvik also likes the Wildcats in a close one, predicting a 72-70 win (-2) with a 58% chance for the road team to head home with a win.

Wildcats preview Bulldogs

Before taking off for Athens, the Wildcats are set to break down their upcoming opponent in a media opportunity scheduled for this morning. Select players will speak at the podium inside Memorial Coliseum starting at 11 a.m. ET, discussing what went right in the first matchup and what needs to happen on the road to get back in the win column.

KSR will be there in person, with coverage on the website to follow throughout the afternoon.

KSR stops in to see Rob Dillingham at Overtime Elite

It’s a big weekend in the Peach State for us here at KSR, and it extends beyond Kentucky at Georgia. Before making the drive over to Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Steven Peake — KSR’s trusty videographer — and I will be making a pitstop in Atlanta to explore the Overtime Elite basketball facilities and catch future Wildcat Rob Dillingham in action.

Dillingham’s Cold Hearts will be taking on the City Reapers, who feature projected top-five draft picks Amen and Ausar Thompson, starting at 7 p.m. ET. Those at home can check out the matchup live on Amazon Prime.

KSR will have game coverage to follow, along with a facility tour of Overtime Elite’s 103,000-square-foot arena on our YouTube page — if you’re not subscribed and following yet, what are you doing with your life?

Dillingham and OTE content Friday, Kentucky at Georgia content Saturday. You won’t want to miss it.

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Kentucky WBB falls at home to Alabama

Kyra Elzy’s women’s basketball team’s struggles in year two continued Thursday, this time in the form of yet another home loss. On this particular occasion, the Wildcats crumbled in the second half to ultimately fall 72-65 to the Alabama Crimson Tide. A second consecutive loss, it pushed Kentucky’s record to 10-13 overall and an abysmal 2-9 in SEC, now 13th in the conference out of 14 total schools.

Sophomore guard Jada Walker led Kentucky with 15 points while adding four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Graduate guard Robyn Benton added 14 points, including going 4-of-7 from the arc, marking a 22nd-consecutive game she has finished in double figures. Junior guard Maddie Scherr also had 11 points to round out double-digit scorers, giving her at least 10 points in nine consecutive games.

Kentucky will next face Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, on Monday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

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Happy Friday, BBN. Go Cats.