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!!