In each of their three losses this year thus far, Kentucky has faced one looming criticism following the final buzzer: the inability to contend physically with their opponents.

Rebounding is a “Major Issue”

To a certain extent, this is a fair point. In wins and losses, the Wildcats have struggled to rebound the ball all season, despite holding a slight statistical advantage in that category overall. Take the recent win against Brown as a prime example, a game in which Kentucky was out-rebounded 35-29. Regardless of the 88-54 win, many folks have still stressed the glass as one of the team’s most urgent issues. Following the 82-69 loss to Georgia, wherein the Cats lost the board-battle 41-34, Coach Mark Pope and forward Andrew Carr concurred.

“It’s back-to-back games where we gave up 15 offensive rebounds… It’s unacceptable for us,” he said. “… that’s a major, major issue for us is the glass,” said Pope.

Carr emphasized the same, saying, “We got to get more nasty, more angry when we’re playing… get better on the defensive glass.”

So it’s safe to say that those words don’t fall on deaf ears, and in no world can, or should, Kentucky escape this argument entirely. But in the same breath, it can be fairly stated that much of the physical effort the team has shown has been immediately met with a negative whistle on either end. Many will scoff at such a suggestion, but on paper, the discrepancies are painfully apparent.

The Call-Based Catalyst

At one point during the second half of the aforementioned loss to the Bulldogs, the chasm between Kentucky’s attempts at the strike and Georgia’s was an astonishing 22; 31 to 9. Even considering a last-minute string of free throws for the visiting Wildcats, the final tally of attempts was 38 to 19 in the Bulldogs’ favor. Georgia made 29 (76%,) and Kentucky 15 (79%.)

The home team’s 38 chances at the line fell only two points shy of half their average points scored per game as a team this season, at 80.

On the night as a whole, Kentucky actually scored one more field goal than Georgia and made only one less three. Both teams shot below 30% from the arc and hovered around the 40% mark from the field in total. Georgia won by 13. It doesn’t take rocket science to spot the difference.

A Sour Standard

Simply put, in their matchup, Georgia wasn’t held to the same standard as Kentucky as far as the ability to play physical basketball goes. In their last two games combined, one at home and on the road respectively, and both in the SEC, Kentucky trails their opponents’ attempted free throws 43-73.

Foul numbers and free throws won’t be exactly the same for both teams, sure, but a difference as severe as that one calls for a closer look.

It’s an odd, contradictory sort of scenario, where the SEC is hailed as the toughest conference in college basketball, yet attempting to play tough lands, certain teams, most often the visiting team (or the blue team, if you will,) in a free throw hole.

And it isn’t just Kentucky fans who’ve taken issue with the trend.

Dan Wolken, a columnist for USA Today Sports, posted on X (Twitter) multiple times during the Kentucky-Georgia game. His first read, “If what I’m seeing tonight is an accurate representation of SEC basketball officiating, road wins should count double. Home teams getting away with some stuff.” The post was sung to the chorus of nearly 2,000 likes.

“An officiating disaster class,” he said in another. “Disgraceful stuff.”

Keep The Faith

But while the problem may be relatively easy to diagnose, a potential solution seems virtually impossible to dissect. Like every other aspect of the game, officiating is a fallible piece in the larger basketball puzzle. How, or why, it often works the way it does is unclear; all that can be said at this point is that, lately, Kentucky has consistently been given the short end of that stick.

One way or another they’ll have to find a way to win in spite of these disheartening stats, and if the Big Blue Nation take comfort in anything, it should be in Mark Pope and this team working tirelessly to do so.

The Cats will have a chance to bounce back in their second consecutive road game against the Bulldogs, this time taking on 24th-ranked Mississippi State. You can catch the battle on SEC Network this coming Saturday, Jan. 11th, at 8:30 p.m.

Coming off his best game in a Kentucky uniform, Koby Brea’s status is up in the air.

On Saturday, Brea put up a season-high 23 points and a career-high seven made three-pointers against Florida. The impressive performance helped him earn SEC Player of the Week honors. However, as the team prepares for their first SEC road test, taking on the Georgia Bulldogs, Brea has been listed as “questionable.”

Just as in SEC football play, teams are now required to file availability reports. Rather than three days before in football, in basketball, they are reported the night before the game, with an update on game day.

The new policy defines questionable as: Uncertain to play due to injury or condition. Giving a “50% chance” to play in terms of percentages.

Brea is joined on the availability report by a player from each team. Kentucky guard Kerr Kriis is listed as “out”, as he is still recovering from surgery to repair a Jones fracture. Georgia guard De’Shayne Montgomery is listed as “probable”.

If Brea is out, that will certainly impact the Wildcat offense, who is going against a Georgia defense that limits their opponents to just 28.5 percent from three.

Brea’s final status will be updated 90 minutes before the game.

The Kentucky Wildcats are off to a strong start in SEC play after a 106-100 victory over the Florida Gators. Now, they travel to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs for just their second road game of the season and first SEC road game.

Coached by former Florida head coach Mike White, the Bulldogs are looking to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015. They are on track to do that with a 12-2 record and the No. 36 spot in the NET rankings.

However, the Bulldogs’ schedule has not exactly been the strongest, only playing three top-75 opponents, going 1-2, with a win over St John’s and losses to Marquette and Ole Miss by double digits. They’re coming off a 63-51 loss in Oxford.

Interestingly, Kentucky has lost its last two contests in Athens, last winning at Georgia in 2020.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Game Pace

Coming off a very fast-paced game against Florida, Kentucky will get the opposite against Georiga.

On the season, the Bulldogs have put up an average of 80.4 points per game, but against power conference opponents, that number drops to just over 66 points per game. The case is the same for the average number of possessions, dropping from 71.4 per game to 65.6.

For comparison, Kentucky averages nearly 75 possessions per game.

The Wildcats are at their best when they are playing at a fast pace, so they would like to speed the Bulldogs up and make them uncomfortable, as they tend to make mistakes at that pace.

Force Turnovers, Take Advantage

One way to speed up the game is by forcing turnovers, something Kentucky has done really well at times this season, most recently against Brown. In that game, the Wildcats scored 33 points on 23 turnovers, a highly efficient 1.4 per possession clip.

Georiga is one of the worst teams in the country, and the SEC, in turning the ball over. Doing so an average of 13.3 times per game. The main culprits are their trio of guards: Silas Demary (2.9 TOPG), De’Shayne Montgomery (2.0 TOPG), and Tyrin Lawrence (1.9 TOPG).

With the defensive ball pressure that Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh bring, I would expect them to get their hands on quite a few steals, helping Kentucky speed the game up and give them some extra possessions.

Great Offense vs. Stout Defense

Kentucky enters this game with one of the best offenses in college basketball, while Georgia has one of the best defenses. The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 5 in KenPom offensive efficiency, while Georgia ranks No. 28 in defensive efficiency.

The Wildcats have hit 80+ points in 10 of 13 games, while Georgia has only allowed one opponent to hit that mark, an 80-69 neutral-court loss to Marquette. Georgia has allowed a mere 55.8 points per game over its last six home games.

We know how much the Cats struggled away from Rupp Arena against good defensive teams in Clemson and Ohio State. They’ll need to buck that trend this week if they want to come out of Athens with a win.

Rebounding Battle

Georgia does not lack size or physicality, and they use that on the boards. The frontcourt trio of Asa Newell, RJ Godfrey, and Somto Cyril (former UK commit) lead the Bulldogs on the boards.

By average, Kentucky is a better rebounding team than Georgia. However, they too often allow teams to build up rebounding margins on them before refocusing. Just like the first ten minutes against Florida, where the Gators had a 13-4 rebound advantage.

You have to rebound all 40 minutes on the road in the SEC, or you could be vulnerable to an upset on the road in the SEC.

Opposing Players to Watch

F Asa Newell 6-11, 220 lbs

• 15.4 PPG
• 6.9 RPG
• 1.1 BPG

G Dakota Leffew 6-5, 195 lbs

• 12.3 PPG
• 40.2% 3P
• 2.6 APG

G Silas Demary 6-5, 195 lbs

• 11.9 PPG
• 3.0 APG
• 2.9 TOPG

Kentucky Basketball (12-2) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (12-2)

Time: 7:00 PM ET on January 7th, 2024
Location: Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA
TV Channel: SEC Network
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and ESPN network of channels (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | UGA
Stats to Know: UK | UGA
KenPom: UK | UGA
Team Sheet: UK | UGA

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check back later for that. The metrics all give Kentucky the advantage in chance of victory, but by a slim margin. EvanMiya gives Kentucky a 57.3% chance of winning, Bart Torvik is at 52%, KenPom is at 55%, and ESPN is at 53.3%.

Predictions: EvanMiya has Kentucky winning 78-76, the largest margin of the group. Bart Torvik, Haslametrics, and KenPom have the Cats winning 78-77. This is a game that Kentucky could struggle, with Georgia playing a similar style to Clemson and Ohio State. However, after a slow start, I’m going with an 84-69 victory, Kentucky!

How do you see this one going? Send us your Kentucky vs. Georgia score predictions in the comments section!

Go CATS!!