This Week in Kentucky Basketball: Finish Strong

What a difference two weeks can make. Here is what we wrote about the Kentucky Basketball team back on Monday, Feb. 13th: “Kentucky lost by 15 points to the Razorbacks and then fell by seven points in Athens. Their 16-9, 7-5 record now has the ‘Cats on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. More importantly, continued poor play has left little room for hope that the season can be salvaged.”

However, it also served as a reminder of what happened in early January. Here is another excerpt from that same article on Feb. 13th: “An optimist would remind you that things can turn for the better just as quickly as they turn for the worse. The Wildcats were in a very similar situation almost exactly one month ago. After a 26-point loss to Alabama followed by an excruciating home loss to cellar-dweller South Carolina dropped the ‘Cats to 10-6, 1-3. However, Kentucky responded by beating Tennessee on the road to begin a six-game SEC winning streak.“

The Wildcats have certainly responded to adversity once again. Kentucky has gone from outside the NCAA Tournament bubble to thinking about how many seed lines they can move up in just two weeks. Now, they are just one win away from locking in the #3 seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The recent four-game winning streak can’t let the ‘Cats relax though.

First off, you have to take care of Vanderbilt during Senior Day on Wednesday. This is a Commodores team that has won six of their last seven to improve to 16-13, 9-7. They cannot be overlooked. Then, if you hold serve at home in that game, you have a shot for a fun road game at Arkansas this weekend.

As we do each Monday, it’s time to take a look at the week ahead as it pertains to the basketball program. We will highlight the biggest storyline surrounding the team this week, preview the upcoming two opponents, take a look at the updated SEC standings, and feature the top games to watch nationally.

Let’s dive into another edition of this week in Kentucky Basketball.

Top Kentucky Basketball Storyline: Keep Your Foot on the Glass

It has been a roller-coaster of a season for Big Blue Nation. As soon as you write off the Wildcats they respond with a winning streak. However, as soon as you get comfortable and start to think they’ve turned the corner they come back with a stinker of a game. The Kentucky Basketball team will have an opportunity on Wednesday to take a step forward.

When you’ve already lost at home to South Carolina and on the road to Georgia you can no longer afford bad losses. Vanderbilt is a solid team, but at Rupp Arena, you have to take care of business and win. Losing this one would be a major step back for a team riding high. Meanwhile, winning would equal a level of maturity and focus that we’ve been waiting to see from the ‘Cats.

It would be human nature to relax a little bit. It has been a tumultuous and stressful season for the Kentucky basketball team and fans alike. Finally, the Wildcats are comfortably in the tournament and in a good position to earn a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. However, the month of March is all about “win or go home”.

Once we head to Nashville, or wherever the NCAA Tournament location is, you have to win to keep playing. It could serve Coach Calipari and the staff well to try and treat Wednesday’s matchup with the Commodores like a tournament game. Beating Vandy would earn the ‘Cats the right to go have a relatively low-stress road trip to Arkansas and essentially be playing with house money at that point.

This Week in Kentucky Basketball: Vanderbilt Commodores & Arkansas Razorbacks

The Vanderbilt Commodores are a different team than when the Wildcats faced them on Jan. 24th. Coach Jerry Stackhouse’s squad is trending towards becoming a Top 25 offense while winning six of their last seven games. A big reason for their recent surge has been getting 7’0″ center Liam Robbins back and healthy.

After missing four games, including the first matchup with Kentucky, Robbins reentered the starting lineup just in time for Vandy to rattle off five straight wins. Robbins is averaging 22 points and 10.1 rebounds over the Commodores’ last seven games. His presence will be something that Kentucky did not have to deal with the first time around. How Oscar Tshiebwe matches up with a much bigger opponent will go a long way to determining Wednesday’s outcome.

On Saturday, the ‘Cats will get a chance for revenge when they head out to Fayetteville. Arkansas defeated Kentucky 88-73 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 7th, which snapped the Wildcats’ stretch of six wins in seven games. Makhel and Makhi Mitchell combined for 19 points on 8-10 shooting with 13 rebounds as they dominated Tshiebwe around the basket.

Also, the Razorbacks have superstar freshman Nick Smith Jr. back and healthy as he seemed to hit his stride last week. The 6’5″ guard scored 26 points including 5-8 shooting from three in a win over Georgia and then 24 points on 2-3 three-point shooting in an 86-83 loss at Alabama on Saturday. His addition back into the lineup certainly has raised Arkansas’ ceiling and will make them even harder to beat at Bud Walton Arena. Smith Jr. was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday.

Around the Southeastern Conference

• Alabama knocked off Arkansas 86-83 on Saturday to secure at least a share of the SEC regular season crown. This final week will not be easy for the Crimson Tide though as they host Auburn and then travel to Texas A&M.
• Kentucky continued its late-season surge, extending its winning streak to four games. The ‘Cats won at Florida and beat Auburn by 32 points at Rupp Arena on Saturday. One more win would lock UK into the #3 seed of the SEC Tournament.
• There is still a lot to shake out between Tennessee in fourth and Arkansas in eighth place. The Volunteers control their own destiny to a double bye. However, it won’t be easy as they host Arkansas and travel to Auburn. Speaking of the Razorbacks, they could certainly vault up the standings this week with wins over Tennessee and Kentucky.
• Down towards the bottom of the standings, Georgia will try to get out of the Wednesday night slate of games of the SEC Tournament by defeating Florida on Tuesday evening They finish the season at South Carolina. A pair of wins could move them out of the dreaded bottom four.

Games to Watch Nationally

Monday, February 27th

Oklahoma State vs. #7 Baylor @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

Tuesday, February 28th

Butler vs. #6 Marquette @ 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)
#13 Virginia vs. Clemson @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)
#15 Indiana vs. Iowa @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)
#3 Kansas vs. Texas Tech @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)
#12 Tennessee vs. Arkansas @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)
Boise State vs. #18 San Diego State @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS Sports Network)
Ole Miss vs. #24 Texas A&M @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPNU)

Wednesday, March 1st

#20 Providence @ #19 Xavier @ 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)
#2 Alabama vs. Auburn @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)
#14 UConn vs. DePaul @ 7:00 p.m Eastern Time (CBS Sports Network)
Ohio State vs. #21 Maryland @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Big Ten Network)
#23 Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (SEC Network)
Notre Dame vs. #25 Pittsburg @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPNU)
#11 Kansas State vs. Oklahoma @ 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN+)
#22 TCU vs. #9 Texas @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)
#10 Gonzaga vs. Chicago State @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Thursday, March 2nd

#1 Houston vs. Wichita State @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)
#4 UCLA vs. Arizona State @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)
Wisconsin vs. #5 Purdue @ 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FS1)
USC vs. #8 Arizona @ 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)

Saturday, March 4th

#24 Texas A&M vs. #2 Alabama @ Noon Eastern Time (CBS)
#7 Baylor vs. Iowa State @ Noon Eastern Time
#20 Providence vs. Seton Hall @ Noon Eastern Time (FOX)
#6 Marquette vs. St. John’s @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (FOX)
West Virginia vs. #11 Kansas State @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN+)
Auburn vs. #12 Tennessee @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)
#13 Virginia vs. Louisville @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN2)
Arkansas vs. #23 Kentucky @ 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS)
Oklahoma vs. #22 TCU @ 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN+)
#9 Texas vs. #3 Kansas @ 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)
#16 Miami (FL) vs. #25 Pittsburgh @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ACC Network)
#19 Xavier vs. Butler @ 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Villanova vs. #14 UConn @ 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FOX)
#4 UCLA vs. #8 Arizona @ 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ESPN)
#18 San Diego State vs. Wyoming @ 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS Sports Network)

Sunday, March 5th

Memphis vs. #1 Houston @ Noon Eastern Time
Penn State vs. #21 Maryland @ Noon Eastern Time (Big Ten Network)
#5 Purdue vs. Illinois @ 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time (FOX)
#15 Indiana vs. Michigan @ 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (CBS)