Mark Pope calls Mississippi State 'really good' and a 'great challenge' -- with two clear standouts

If you think the road for Kentucky will get any easier, think again. The Wildcats are set to travel through another snowstorm down to Starkville this weekend to take on the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Sitting at 14-1 on the year and 6-1 in Quad 1 and 2 matchups — 4-0 in Quad 1 — they’re a force in the SEC and will be looking to end an 18-0 losing streak to the Cats in regular season play.

If there was ever a group capable of doing it, it’s this one, led by The Dentist himself, Chris Jans.

“They’re good — oof, they’re good. They’re really good. You just clip and paste that on to the next game, too, whatever team we have. This team is really, really talented,” Mark Pope said of the Bulldogs on Thursday. “… They’re really aggressive, they’re a high-turnover-forcing team. They’re really aggressive on the glass, a top-30 team on the offensive glass. It’s kind of the bio of everybody in the SEC. I know Coach Jans really well, he’s a terrific coach. He’s done a great job. It’ll be in a venue that’s going to be a terrific, spirited venue. So it’ll be a great challenge for us.”

Kentucky has not lost in Starkville since 2008 with Billy Gillispie leading the charge, John Calipari going undefeated in nine attempts inside Humphrey Coliseum during his 15-year career. The Bulldogs nearly got the Wildcats last year thanks to a heroic 34-point effort from star guard Josh Hubbard.

Unfortunately for MSU, Reed Sheppard was just a little better, going for an efficient 32 points on 11-14 shooting with seven assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 35 minutes. His game-winner at the buzzer ended the Bulldogs’ dreams of ending that streak.

Hubbard will certainly be looking for revenge personally.

“They’ve got an elite, elite, elite, elite, elite, elite, elite three-level scorer and playmaker in their point guard, number 12 (Josh Hubbard),” Pope said of the sophomore guard. “He’s a real talent, he’s been doing it for a while. He’s really, really dangerous.”

Another name Pope is keeping a close eye on? Senior forward Cameron Matthews.

The 6-7 playmaker is just sixth on the team in scoring at 8.0 points per game on 61.8 percent shooting and 52.1 percent at the line, but he’s a force on the glass (6.9 RPG) while leading the team in assists (4.1 APG) and steals (2.5 SPG) — an all-around threat capable of beating you in a number of ways.

He may not be atop most scouting reports, but he is for Kentucky.

“They have a really unique piece in their starting four, he’s very much a Draymond Green vibe,” Pope said of Matthews. “He’s a really terrific, creative passer. He’s got an unbelievable sense of space and time away from the ball. He sees cutters, he can pass off the bounce, he can be really aggressive to the rim. He plays like a really, really big point guard. He’s a unique piece for them.”

Mississippi State is currently No. 12 in the NET and No. 16 in KenPom with the No. 17 offense and No. 25 defense nationally. It’s a deep and talented group with plenty of weapons.

Can the Wildcats respond in yet another hostile environment? We’ll find out on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET, live on SEC Network.