Kentucky hosts Utah on Saturday in Rupp Arena with the Wildcats looking to bounce back from last weekend's tough overtime loss to Seton Hall.
Cats Illustrated staff members share their thoughts on the game and predictions on what might happen.
Will the absence of Quade Green have any impact on the team in the immediate present, either in terms of play or chemistry?
Jeff Drummond, Managing Editor: These next two or three games could be a time when we see Green's absence make a difference. For all of his shortcomings as a player -- no pun intended -- he was a confident offensive guy who could step up and knock down a big shot from time to time. Someone has to fill that void, whether it's Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro or maybe even Jemarl Baker.
Warren Taylor, Staff Writer: The conventional answer is to say yes, but personally, the way Quade was trending the last few games I'm going to stick my neck out and say no. His scoring was down and he wasn't hitting shots as he did earlier in the season. Subtracting his turnovers and inability to play defense will definitely help the team, at least in theory, though it will take a few games to see how accurate my assessment will be.
Justin Rowland, Publisher: In the short term and the long term I think Kentucky's going to be OK and won't really suffer from it. They're going to have to shoot better and that will be tougher without Green, but I think they're due for some positive regression to the mean and expect shots to start falling more soon.
What are your overall thoughts on the matchup Saturday?
Drummond: I don't buy John Calipari's rationale that he's treating the Seton Hall game "like a win," but I agree wholeheartedly with him when he says the Cats improved. I believe they'll build on that Saturday against a Utah squad that won't be mistaken for the vintage Utes of Rick Majerus. There are matchup issues for Utah all over the court in this one, and UK needs to take advantage of them.
Taylor: The Utes are bad and don't match up well with the Cats at all. With that said, Utah does play a slowdown version of basketball that will test this Kentucky team's ability to defend late into the shot clock. If they can catch the Cats sleeping early and gain some traction then they will hang around for a bit. I think the Cats depth in the post and ability to get to the free throw line will be the difference maker as the second half wears on and Kentucky pulls away.
Rowland: Utah is a poor defensive team and while they really slow the game down, which could limit Kentucky's transition opportunities - where the Wildcats are at their best - I just don't see the Utes really keeping the Cats' score down enough. Kentucky gets to the foul line a lot and Utah's opponents are shooting 18.5 times per game from the charity stripe, so I expect the Cats to pound the offensive glass and make a living at that free throw line.
What's your prediction for the game?
Drummond: Kentucky 77, Utah 60. The Cats win this one convincingly, and Tyler Herro breaks out of his slump with a 20-point effort.
Taylor: Kentucky 76, Utah 62. Like I described above, the Cats might struggle to score and defend in spots, but they will muscle in enough easy shots and free throws to keep the margin of victory healthy.
Rowland: Kentucky 82, Utah 60. This will be one of Kentucky's more convincing wins of the season. It might prove to be a little deceiving, because Utah has struggled mightily while still having a better brand name than many previous opponents, but a win this convincing would be a step in the right direction and I expect it. I think Reid Travis will dominate the offensive glass with put backs.
