This Week in Kentucky Basketball: Continue Stacking Wins

Six straight wins in the Southeastern Conference has taken some pressure off of the Wildcats NCAA Tournament status. However, that can all change in a hurry with even just one loss at home or to a lesser team on the road. This week the Kentucky Basketball team is at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night for a big game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Then, the conference schedule flips over and the ‘Cats travel to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs for the second time this season. Kentucky will be favored in both games this week and it is time to once again adopt the “just hold serve” mentality. It is all about stacking up wins at this point in the season. Sitting at 17-6, 7-3 the Wildcats are quietly trending in the right direction.

On Saturday night Kentucky took care of business at home with a 72-67 win over the Florida Gators. Incremental improvements over the past several weeks have put the ‘Cats in a much better position than they were after the ugly home loss to South Carolina. In the last seven games, including six straight conference wins, the Wildcats have put up nearly 1.1 points per possession offensively and allowed just 65.3 points per game defensively. That is a recipe for winning basketball games. Better lineups, better execution, and playing to specific players strengths has created the offensive improvements. On the defensive end, Kentucky is playing with an effort and intensity that we simply didn’t see earlier in the season. It has taken awhile, but the Wildcats are playing well.

As we do every Monday, it is time to take a look at the week ahead for the Kentucky Basketball program. We will address the biggest storyline currently surrounding the Wildcats, preview Arkansas and Georgia, take a look at the SEC standings, and highlight the best games to watch nationally. Let’s dive on in to another edition of this week in Kentucky Basketball.

Top Kentucky Basketball Storyline: Getting Oscar Tshiebwe & Antonio Reeves Back in the Groove

One game does not make a slump. Additionally, most players do not pull down 15 rebounds in one of their career-worst performances. However, those are the standards you are held to as the reining National Player of the Year. Oscar Tshiebwe got dominated in his individual matchup against Colin Castleton on Saturday night. The 6’11” Castleton is an All-SEC performer in his own right and went for 25 points to lead all scorers. It was what the Florida Gators big man did defensively thought that really made waves. Tshiebwe was held to just 2-14 shooting while struggling with the size and length of Castleton. It may well be just a blip on the radar, but it is no secret that Tshiebwe has a tendency to struggle against taller opponents.

As for Antonio Reeves, his relegation to the bench for the final 9:03 puzzled several fans. He was fresh off of scoring 27 points at Ole Miss and had emerged as Kentucky Basketball’s primary scoring threat. However, Coach Calipari benched him for defensive purposes after allowing a purported “five back cuts.” In reality, that number was just two, but it still kept Reeves on the bench in the final minutes. It would have been hard to take any of the Sahvir Wheeler, Cason Wallace, or CJ Fredrick trio that was playing so well. Still though, it was odd to see the Wildcats second-leading scorer watch the final nine minutes of the game from the bench. He will likely be thrust right back into his previous role though and hopefully will have a new level of urgency on the defensive end.

The growth of Kentucky offensively truly shined on Saturday night. Despite their two leading scorers behind held 21 points below their season averages, the Wildcats put up 72 points on a Top 10 defense. There were times just a few weeks ago that the ‘Cats struggled to score 72 period. Now, they have done it against an elite defense while getting just eight combined points from Tshiebwe and Reeves. You have to be able to grind games out like that once March rolls around. This Kentucky Basketball team is starting to show flashes of being able to win games in a variety of ways. That growth is very encouraging.

This Week in Kentucky Basketball: Arkansas Razorbacks & Georgia Bulldogs

After big wins both in traditional high school recruiting and in the transfer portal the Arkansas Razorbacks were considered a Top 10 team coming into this season. Fresh off of a trip to the Elite 8, Coach Eric Musselman was riding high in Fayetteville. However, Nick Smith Jr. and Trevon Brazile have played just five and nine games respectively. Smith Jr. continues to fight a lingering right knee issue. Meanwhile, Brazile is out for the season with a torn ACL. In their absence, the Razorbacks had a rough start to SEC play. After a mid-January stretch of four-straight losses Arkansas was 12-6 overall, 1-5 in the league. Since that time though they have won four straight SEC games to get back to .500 and took Baylor down to the wire.

Ricky Council has quietly been one of the better players in the Southeastern Conference this season. The Mitchell twins, Makhi and Makhel, have emerged as very solid interior players after transferring from Rhode Island. Then, you have freshmen Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh still contributing at a high level as well. Mix in veterans Davonte Davis and Jalen Graham and this is still a very talented Razorbacks ball club. They do not shoot the ball well, but they score at the rim as well as anyone in the country. Their pressure defense has a way of creating offense too. This will not be a walk in the park at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night by any means.

It will be the second go-around for the Kentucky Basketball team against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday. The ‘Dawgs led the ‘Cats 42-34 at the half in Lexington, but ended up falling 85-71. That loss started a bit of a tailspin in Athens. Georgia has lost five of their last six games with their only win coming in overtime against South Carolina. They are now 14-9 overall and 4-6 in the SEC. Saturday’s game will be all about Kentucky’s adjustments guarding the ballscreens. Terry Roberts and Kario Oquendo torched the Wildcats for 39 combined points back on January 17th. It took a Herculean effort from Oscar Tshiebwe to survive with a win the first time around. Now, playing at Stegman Coliseum, the ‘Cats must find a way to secure a second victory.

Around the Southeastern Conference

• The Alabama Crimson Tide continue to separate themselves from the rest of the SEC. Their next three games are tough though as they host Florida before road games at Auburn and Tennessee. If they survive that stretch, an undefeated conference season is officially in play.
• Tennessee seems to hit a rut offensively. They shot just 32.6% in a loss at Florida on Wednesday. Then, they scored just 46 points and shot 2-21 from three in a win over Auburn.
• The Kentucky Basketball keeps trending in the right direction as they have now won six straight games in the Southeastern Conference.
• After a 1-7 start, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have won three straight games including an impressive victory over TCU. They are still a Top 10 team defensively which will keep them in every game they play down the stretch.
• On Tuesday night, Kentucky vs. Arkansas and Texas A&M vs. Auburn are two very important conference games being played on Tuesday night. Alabama vs. Florida on Wednesday night will be played on ESPN2. Over the weekend, Auburn vs. Alabama and Tennessee vs. Missouri are the primary games to watch.

Games to Watch Nationally

Monday, February 6th

#19 Miami (FL) vs. Duke @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

#9 Kansas vs. #5 Texas @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

Tuesday, February 7th

#21 UConn vs. #10 Marquette @ 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

#18 Indiana vs. #24 Rutgers @ 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (Big Ten Network)

#8 Virginia vs. #22 NC State @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)

#12 Kansas State vs. #17 TCU @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPNU)

Wednesday, February 8th

Seton Hall vs. #23 Creighton @ 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

Vanderbilt vs. #6 Tennessee @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)

West Virginia vs. #11 Iowa State @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

#2 Houston vs. Tulsa @ 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN+)

#20 Providence vs. Georgetown @ 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS Sports Network)

#3 Alabama vs. Florida @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

#14 Baylor vs. Oklahoma @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPNU)

Utah State vs. #25 San Diego State @ 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS Sports Network)

Thursday, February 9th

#1 Purdue vs. Iowa @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

Oregon State vs. #7 UCLA @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Pac 12 Network)

#16 Gonzaga vs. San Francisco @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

LMU vs. #15 Saint Mary’s @ 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time

California vs. #4 Arizona @ 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Friday, February 10th

Butler vs. #13 Xavier @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

Saturday, February 11th

#5 Texas vs. West Virginia @ Noon Eastern Time

Georgetown vs. #10 Marquette @ Noon Eastern Time (FS1)

St. John’s vs. #20 Providence @ Noon Eastern Time (FOX)

Boston College vs. #22 NC State @ Noon Eastern Time (ACC Network)

Oklahoma vs. #9 Kansas @ 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS)

Auburn vs. #3 Alabama @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

#23 Creighton vs. #21 UConn @ 2:00 p.m. (FOX)

Illinois vs. #24 Rutgers @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)

#8 Virginia vs. Duke @ 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

#17 TCU vs. #14 Baylor @ 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

#25 San Diego State vs. UNLV @ 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FOX)

#6 Tennessee vs. Missouri @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)

#11 Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Portland vs. #15 Saint Mary’s @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS Sports Network)

Michigan vs. #18 Indiana @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

Texas Tech vs. #12 Kansas State @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN+)

#19 Miami (FL) vs. Louisville @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)

Stanford vs. #4 Arizona @ 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)

Oregon vs. #7 UCLA @ 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

#16 Gonzaga vs. BYU @ 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Sunday, February 12th

Northwestern vs. #1 Purdue @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Big Ten Network)