No. 6 Kentucky at Georgia: Preview, Odds & How to Watch

FF-264267 — Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

For just the second time this season, Kentucky will leave Lexington for a true road game — the first in SEC play. The Wildcats fell in their first road test at Clemson while also losing to Ohio State in New York City while pulling off neutral-site top-10 wins over Duke and Gonzaga in the non-conference. Up next? The Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, taking on a 12-2 team ranked No. 36 in the NET for another Quad 1 opportunity.

What do you need to know about the program’s second conference matchup of the season for Mark Pope? KSR’s got you covered.

No. 6 Kentucky at Georgia: How to Watch, Listen

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.

Early season rewind

Kentucky: KenPom 19

11/4: 103-62 W vs. Wright State
11/9: 100-72 W vs. Bucknell
11/12: 77-72 W vs. No. 6 Duke
11/19: 97-68 W vs. Lipscomb
11/22: 108-59 W vs. Jackson State
11/26: 87-68 W vs. Western Kentucky
11/29: 105-76 W vs. Georgia State
12/3: 70-66 L at Clemson
12/7: 90-89 W OT vs. Gonzaga
12/11: 78-67 W vs. Colgate
12/14: 93-85 W vs. Louisville
12/21: 85-65 L vs. Ohio State
12/31: 88-54 W vs. Brown
1/4: 106-100 W vs. Florida

Georgia: KenPom 50

11/4: 83-78 W vs. Tennessee Tech
11/10: 92-64 W vs. Texas Southern
11/12: 90-77 W vs. North Florida
11/15: 77-69 W at Georgia Tech
11/19: 93-45 W vs. Alabama A&M
11/23: 80-69 L vs. Marquette
11/24: 66-63 W vs. St. John’s
11/30: 102-56 W vs. Jacksonville
12/3: 69-48 W vs. Notre Dame
12/14: 73-68 W vs. Grand Canyon
12/19: 100-49 W vs. Buffalo
12/22: 81-65 W vs. Charleston Southern
12/29: 79-72 W vs. South Carolina State
1/4: 63-51 L at Ole Miss

Series History

Kentucky leads the all-time series 132-28 including an impressive 44-19 record on the road at Georgia. The two teams split the series in 2023-24 with both programs winning at home, the Wildcats losing 75-68 in Athens in the first matchup, followed by a 105-96 victory in Lexington in the second. That was the Zvonimir Ivisic game, as you may recall, the 7-2 freshman cleared just hours before tip-off and going for 13 points on three made 3-pointers with five rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists. Tre Mitchell (23) and Antonio Reeves (21) also combined for 44 in that one.

Mike White, in his third season at Georgia, is 5-12 against the Wildcats between stints with the Bulldogs and Florida Gators — 1-2 at UGA, 4-10 at UF. Mark Pope, who started his coaching career in Athens (2009-10), has not coached a game against the Bulldogs.

Kentucky at Georgia Odds

Spread: Kentucky -2.5
Total: 156.5

KenPom and Bart Torvik both project a 78-77 win for UK in Athens while ESPN’s BPI likes the Cats by 0.8 points while giving the road team a 53.0 percent chance to pull off the win.

Kentucky Projected Starters

#1 – Lamont Butler
6-2 – 208 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
13.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.0 RPG

#00 – Otega Oweh
6-4 – 215 – GUARD – JUNIOR
15.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG

#2 – Jaxson Robinson
6-6 – 192 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
12.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.8 APG

#7 – Andrew Carr
6-11 – 235 – FORWARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
11.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.8 APG

#22 – Amari Williams
7-0 – 262 – CENTER – GRADUATE STUDENT
10.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG

Georgia Projected Starters

#5 – Silas Demary Jr.
6-5 – 206 – GUARD – SOPHOMORE
11.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.0 APG

#7 – Tyrin Lawrence
6-4 – 200 – GUARD – GRADUATE SENIOR
10.5 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.7 RPG

#0 – Blue Cain
6-5 – 195 – GUARD – SOPHOMORE
8.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG

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#10 – RJ Godfrey
6-8 – 230 – FORWARD – JUNIOR
6.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG

#14 – Asa Newell
6-11 – 220 – CENTER – FRESHMAN
15.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.1 BPG

SEC Availability Report

The new SEC policy states players must be listed as “out” (0% chance to play), “doubtful” (25% chance to play), “questionable” (50% chance to play), or “probable” (75% chance to play) in reports prior to game days. Where do things stand ahead of the team’s trip to Athens?

KENTUCKY

Koby Brea – QUESTIONABLE
Kerr Kriisa – OUT

GEORGIA

De’Shayne Montgomery – PROBABLE

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

Kentucky is the only team in the country with wins over top 10 teams
The 106 points scored vs. Florida marked the most ever against a top-10 opponent in program history
The Wildcats dished out 25 assists with just six turnovers against the Gators and lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.09
Otega Oweh is the only player who has scored in double digits in every game for Kentucky while six players are averaging double-figure scoring — which would be an all-time record for the program
UK’s offense is ranked as the fifth-most efficient in the country, according to KenPom. The Cats are averaging 1.228 points per possession for the season with two straight games of 1.40 or better

Pregame Storylines

MARK POPE AND MARK FOX RETURN TO ATHENS

It’s a homecoming for two Kentucky coaches who share a unique connection both with each other and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mark Pope and Mark Fox were together at Washington — the former as a player and the latter as an assistant — before Fox gave Pope his first-ever job in coaching at UGA, bringing the former Wildcat on as a Director of Basketball Operations in 2009-10 during his first season as head coach in Athens. Fox was with the Bulldogs for nine seasons, finishing with a record of 163-133 with two NCAA Tournaments and three NITs. He led the program to four 20-win seasons, tied for most by a head coach in school history while also becoming the only Georgia coach to win 20 games three years in a row.

WIN NO. 200 ON THE LINE FOR POPE

Could Pope earn his 200th career victory back where it all started? It’s on the table, with the first-year coach in Lexington entering the matchup with a 199-110 all-time record in his 10th season across three different schools. He’s 12-2 at Kentucky after finishes of 110-52 and 77-56 at BYU and Utah Valley, respectively. Starting as a DOBO in Athens back in ’09-10, he could leave the city with a massive career milestone with a victory on Tuesday.

SOMTO CYRIL REUNITES WITH KENTUCKY

Once upon a time, Somto Cyril was one of six signees in John Calipari’s 2024 recruiting class at Kentucky, joining Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond. Quaintance chose his own path by going to Arizona State while Cyril stayed local — he finished his high school career in Atlanta at Overtime Elite — to play for Mike White at Georgia. The other four followed Coach Cal to Fayetteville. Cyril is currently averaging 5.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 15.4 minutes per contest while shooting 73.2 percent from the field.

UGA IS LED BY A DIAPER DANDY

It’s not every day you get a consensus top-20 five-star on campus for basketball in Athens, but that’s the case with standout freshman Asa Newell. Finishing as the No. 12 overall prospect and No. 2 power forward in 2024, the 6-11 big man signed with the Bulldogs over Alabama, Gonzaga, Texas, Indiana, Auburn, Kansas, Michigan and Baylor, among a number of other high-major options. He’s the third-highest-ranked commitment in program history, behind only Anthony Edwards and Lou WIlliams — and he’s looked the part early, averaging a team-high 15.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. Among SEC stat leaders, Newell is ranked No. 17 in scoring and No. 12 rebounding.

CATS TAKE ON A TOP-30 DEFENSE

Georgia enters the matchup ranked No. 28 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, while also bringing in the No. 17 team nationally in terms of effective field-goal percentage. The Bulldogs also allow just 28.5 percent shooting from deep (No. 19) and 45.3 percent from two (No. 34) with a block rate of 16.4 percent (No. 11). They play with one of the slowest paces in high-major basketball at No. 238 overall, but they’re one of the best defensive teams in the country — and not terrible offensively with an effective field-goal percentage of 55.5% (No. 39).

“DUNKYARD DAWGS” AND OTHER RANDOM GEORGIA FACTS

Did you know the Bulldogs call themselves the “Dunkyard Dawgs” because they rank second nationally in percentage of made field goals that are dunks at 18.6 percent? Now you do. Georgia is also 9-0 at home this year with 11 straight wins at Stegeman Coliseum, good for the sixth-longest streak in program history. This is also the second of seven consecutive games against top-25 opponents to open SEC play for the Bulldogs.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during the game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates as your eyes and ears inside Stegeman Coliseum while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).

New members can get KSR+ for seven days for just $1.

Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with a Rapid Reaction live on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’ll also have wall-to-wall postgame coverage on the website, including highlights, comments from Mark Pope and the players, stats, and takeaways.

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