Now ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, Kentucky takes to the road for its second conference game of the year, against Georgia, early Tuesday evening.
Cats Illustrated staff writers share their takes and predictions on the matchup in advance.
Jeff Drummond: Anytime you go on the road in the SEC, one should expect a challenge. And that was always my thinking before the league turned into an absolute behemoth. Thirteen of the league’s 16 teams, including Georgia, just received votes in the new AP Top 25 poll. KenPom also has the Bulldogs at a respectable No. 50 in his efficiency rankings, and the opening line is around 2.5 points to UK, so fans should expect a hard-fought game. It feels a bit like the Clemson matchup to me. I do wonder, however, if UGA will be able to keep pace with the Cats’ scoring output. The Bulldogs were just held to 51 points in a loss at Ole Miss. Give me Kentucky 80, Georgia 73.
Justin Rowland: We have seen that, away from home, if a team really plays physical defense and with purpose, Kentucky might be vulnerable. At times they have risen to the challenge, but at Clemson and on the neutral site against Ohio State, we know there have sometimes been issues. KenPom has Georgia just outside the top-25 of its defensive efficiency rankings. They're a better defensive team than an offensive team. Kentucky ahs gone 2-2 away from home against teams ranked in the top-40 of KenPom's adjusted defensive rankings. Furthermore, these Bulldogs are 9-0 at home. UGA actually had the lead at halftime on the road at Ole Miss but they went cold in the second half. My view is that Georgia is good enough defensively to put a scare into Kentucky if the Cats are less than their best, but I'm not sure they're good enough offensively to keep pace and pull the upset given how experienced the Wildcats are. Koby Brea looked so confident last time out, you know he will be a focal point for both teams. Kentucky 82, Georgia 78.
Travis Graf: Mike White has the Bulldogs as one of the top sleeper teams in the country in my eyes early on. Asa Newell is going to give Kentucky an early look at what kinds of athletic, springy forwards they’ll be facing all season long in conference play. Somto Cyril is a familiar name that’s big and strong and can block some shots, but I think Kentucky’s bigs will get him in foul trouble tomorrow night. The Bulldogs aren’t really a formidable outside shooting team, but you best believe they’ll give Kentucky all they can handle on the road. I look for this to be a lower scoring game and Kentucky to squeak one out for another Q1 win. Kentucky 75, Georgia 73.
