Roundtable and predictions: UK-LSU

Jeff Drummond, Managing Editor: It's a good matchup for the Cats in the sense that LSU likes to get up and down the floor and won't likely try to turn the game into a grind. It has the feel of a North Carolina or Auburn matchup. UK has fared really well in almost every game this season that was played at a high tempo.

Warren Taylor, Staff Writer: By now Kentucky has faced almost all the best that the SEC has to offer, taken its best shot and has just kept on winning. Kentucky has won ugly, they've won in style and have pulled a rabbit out of thin air in three road victories. This team is almost who the fans and media thought they were at the beginning of the year: national title contenders.

Travis Graf, Special Contributor: Kentucky has been used to teams coming into Rupp and lighting it up unconsciously from behind the arc. This will be one opponent that’s offense isn’t centered around shooting threes. LSU ranks 232nd in the country in three point attempts and 262nd in three point percentage.

The Tigers aren’t a good rebounding team either, ranking 116th in total rebounding while their opponents rank 49th.

David Sisk, Staff Writer: Kentucky has shown that it can run the gauntlet with recent road wins over Auburn, Mississippi State, and Florida, while also beating Kansas at home. Furthermore, Kentucky is undefeated at home on the season, and has yet to have a let down perhaps since the road game at Alabama in early January.

What are the reasons Kentucky fans ought to perhaps be concerned?

Drummond: On its best night, LSU is one of the top teams in the country. The Tigers have everything you need -- strong backcourt play, size, length, athleticism -- to win this game, especially if UK gets caught looking ahead to No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday. Any time a team comes to town with the reigning SEC Player of the Week (Tremont Waters) and Freshman of the Week (Naz Reid), you have cause for concern.

Taylor: Kentucky still has significant holes to fill in its armor before the NCAA Tournament, one of which is their habit to go on long scoreless streaks. An unusually long drought at Mississippi State quickly erased an 18-point lead and made the game much tighter than it needed to be. LSU is one of the more dynamic offense teams Kentucky will face this season. They have scored over 80 points in four of their last five games, and have an effective catalyst at the point guard position in Tremont Waters. To stay in front of the high-flying Tigers, Kentucky must play a complete game on both ends of the court.

Graf: LSU is a one point loss to Arkansas away from having rattled off 13 straight wins and possibly being a top 15 team. The Tigers have a well-balanced starting lineup for their style as well as some quality bench players, including Javonte Smart. Naz Reid and Tremont Waters are one of the better duos in the SEC and either player has the ability to score 30 in any game.

Sisk: LSU looks the part. They have men inside in Naz Reid and Kavell Bigby-Williams. In my opinion, Tremont Waters is as good of a point guard as there is in the country. Javonte Smart and Skylar Mays can fill it up from outside. Personally, I think this team looks better getting off the bust than Tennessee. LSU will be one of the few teams that can line up against Kentucky man to man.

What's your prediction for the game and who Kentucky's MVP will be?

Drummond: Kentucky 77, LSU 72. This should be a good one. I see the Tigers putting a scare into the Cats early, but when Rupp Arena responds with its typical decibel level in times of need, it pushes UK over the top. Keldon Johnson is the MVP. He's got the big matchup advantage tonight and should come ready to attack it.

Taylor: Kentucky 75, LSU 73. The Cats are too good a defensive team to let LSU run wild and their competitive spirit won't let them have another near-collapse like in Starkville. P.J. Washington will continue his hot streak, scoring 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Graf: Kentucky 82, LSU 68. Kentucky controls the pace and dictates the game while keeping Reid and Waters in check. Keldon Johnson has the most favorable matchup on offense and he goes for 20 points. This is also a game where Nick Richards can gain some confidence, as he matches up well down low.

Sisk: Although I love LSU's roster, I am not sold on their scheme. Offensively, there isn't a lot of movement. They do a lot of one on one where the thought process is the better player will win the one-on-one matchup. But what happens when they are not clearly better?

It will be fun though to see some of these individual matchups, including the four bigs. But the one I can't wait to see is Waters and Ashton Hagans. The best offensive point guard in the SEC against the best defensive one in the country. If Hagans can cause him problems, I think that will severely hurt LSU's chances. The defense is really where I don't like LSU. They don't guard the ball-screens well. They ice the ball handler and get lost in rotations when the screener pops. I look for P.J. Washington to have lots of open shots from up front. I feel like Herro and Keldon Johnson will get some easy buckets in early offense. Simply said, I like Kentucky's attention to detail better on both ends. I think they will have the better shot selection, Hagans will hound Waters, and LSU will have too many defensive breakdowns.

Kentucky 84, LSU 74