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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Georgia: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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2 years ago

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Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham (0) smiles during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Rupp Arena.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

After a snowy week in the Bluegrass State, the Kentucky Wildcats will go up against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday in Rupp Arena. The Wildcats have won 16 of the last 18 meetings between the two teams, but those two losses have come in the last three seasons.

Under head coach Mike White, in his second season, the Bulldogs have surpassed expectations thus far this season. Picked to finish 12th in the conference, Georgia is 13-4 overall and 3-1 in SEC play, would be 4-0 if it had not been for a late-game collapse against Tennessee. That said, Georgia has played far from a difficult schedule with their best win coming against a Wake Forest team ranked 46th in the NET rankings.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

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Force Turnovers

Georgia is not necessarily turnover-prone, but in three of their four losses they have had more turnovers than assists. Fortunately, Kentucky has been good at generating turnovers, forcing their opponent into double-digit turnovers in all but three games this season.

This will be a game Kentucky will look to get into passing lanes – cough cough, Reed Sheppard – and get some easy looks in transition.

Crash the Offensive Glass

Shooting nearly 40 percent from three on the year, 11th in the country, this Kentucky team could very well go down as one of the best shooting teams in program history. That said, they have been in a bit of a dry spell of late, shooting above 31 percent from three just once in the last four games.

On the other side, Georgia has been one of the nation’s best at defending the three this season, allowing opponents to shoot less than 30 percent. Over the season, they have allowed just two of their 17 opponents to shoot over 40 percent.

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If the threes aren’t falling, crashing the offensive boards will be important against a Georgia team that gives up nearly 10 per game, leading to extra opportunities.

Will the defense continue to show improvement?

“We told on ourselves. We can defend,” John Calipari said of Kentucky’s effort against Mississippi State, allowing just 29 points in the first half. He did note it wasn’t consistent and when that is the case, he is not going to accept that from his team, and will use the bench His message: “Don’t be mad at me, be mad at yourself.”

Against Georgia, Kentucky will be put in a lot of highball screens and will need to continue showing improvement in their pick-and-roll defense which they have been focusing on in practice.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Jabri Abdur-Rahim, 6-8, 215 lbs

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  • 12.8 PPG
  • 4.0 RPG
  • 39 3PM (5th in SEC), 41.5% 3P (11th in SEC)

G Noah Tomasson, 6-4, 210 lbs

  • 12.4 PPG
  • 3.1 RPG
  • 1.6 APG

C Russel Tchewa, 7-0, 275 lbs

  • 6.6 PPG
  • 6.2 RPG (13th in SEC)
  • 50.6% FG (7th in SEC)

Kentucky Basketball vs. Georgia Bulldogs

  • Time: 6:0 PM ET on January 20th
  • TV Channel: SEC Network
  • Announcers: Mike Morgan and Jon Sundvold will call the action.
  • Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and ESPN app
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | UGA
  • Stats to Know: UK | UGA
  • KenPom: UK | UGA
  • Team Sheets: UK | UGA
  • Odds: DraftKings has Kentucky favored by 11.5 points. ESPN gives them an 84.6% chance of winning. Bart Torvik and EvanMiya are at 82% and 86.6%, respectively, while KenPom has it at 83%.
  • Predictions: Bart Torvik picks Kentucky to win 87-76, while Haslametrics has them winning 88-77. EvanMiya has it at 84-73 for the Cats. KenPom is going with an 85-75 victory, Kentucky!

Also published on a Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

Star Forward Milan Momcilovic Chooses Kentucky Over Louisville and Arizona

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1 day ago

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June 1, 2026

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Photo via AOL

The wait is over BBN!

Milan Momcilovic has officially announced that he will be playing his senior year of college basketball at Kentucky, suiting up in the blue and white for Mark Pope and the Wildcats!

The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 16.9 points per game in the 2025-26 season, leading the nation in 3-pointers made (136) and percentage from deep (48.7%).

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Momcilovic is mostly ranked as No. 2 in most portal rankings, but ESPN has the former Cyclone as the No. 1 overall player. With that being said, this technically serves as Pope’s first No. 1 transfer during his tenure at Kentucky.

Pulling his name out of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27, Kentucky was seemingly the favorite to land the wing during the entire sweepstakes due to positional need, scheme fit and money available to spend. He could even play another year with the Kentucky Wildcats if the “5-in-5” rule is passed and he forgoes the draft again.

Putting Pat Kelsey in a locker and outbidding him on a recruit is always great for morale, but this fills the much-needed star spot for next year’s roster. Pope and his staff have shaped the team with plenty of skilled players, but Momcilovic adds that extra layer of shooting and will serve as the go-to guy when a game may be on the line.

This will be the final player added to the 2026-27 team, with an insert at the starting small forward position in Momcilovic’s future. Pope and the Big Blue Nation have their guy, and soon enough, we’ll see the Pewaukee, Wisconsin native on Rupp Arena’s court.

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Men's Basketball

National Reporter Matt Norlander Chooses Kentucky as Landing Spot for Star Forward Milan Momcilovic

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6 days ago

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May 28, 2026

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Photo via Imagn Images

The Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes is underway, with multiple teams involved in the No. 2 overall transfer player’s recruitment. It is believed that Kentucky and Louisville are the top candidates after his decision to pull out from the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27.

Along with the in-state rivals, Arizona and St. John’s are both very well still in the mix, but the Red Storm are slowly falling out of contention after landing Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou.

On May 28, national reporter Matt Norlander cleared the air on CBS Sports’ Eye On College Basketball podcast, stating that he believes Kentucky will land Momcilovic by the end of the weekend or Monday.

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“My prediction right now is that Milan Momcilovic will go to Kentucky,” Norlander said. “My understanding is that decision is going to come in the next one, two, three days, four days max.”

He would go on to talk about the other top programs involved, stating why he thinks they will be working in an uphill battle in this bidding war.

“My forecast is that it’s Kentucky, but you know, we’ll see if Louisville can get in there,” he continued. “Arizona I don’t think has the money to contend, like I think Kentucky and Louisville just have more money to play with.”

For the worried members of the Big Blue Nation, this is certainly good news to be put out by one of the most trusted college basketball reporters at the national level.

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Going by this report and Adam Zagoria’s from NYT Sports, it shouldn’t be long until a commitment decision for Momcilovic is announced publicly.

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Men's Basketball

BREAKING: No. 2 Ranked Transfer Milan Momcilovic Removes Name From 2026 NBA Draft

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6 days ago

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May 27, 2026

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Kamil Krzaczynski | Imagn Images

Milan Momcilovic has officially removed his named from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season.

Kentucky leads in his recruitment, followed closely by St. John’s, Louisville and Arizona. A backdoor to Iowa State is also still open.

The No. 2 ranked transfer would be a huge addition to Kentucky’s 2026-27 roster if he committed, averaging 16.9 points per game on 50.6/48.7/87.8 shooting splits last year. Funny enough, in the current world of college athletics that we live in, Momcilovic was responsible for eliminating the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament, dropping 20 points in the Round of 32.

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He would go on to lose to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 with Iowa State, so at least we know that there’s some inner-hatred for a long-standing rival if he ends up a Wildcat.

He made the most three-point shots in Division I basketball and is a versatile 6-foot-8 wing, which would fit perfectly into Mark Pope’s offensive system. He completed workouts with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves during the draft process.

Now, the bidding war for the top dog begins, with some of the most prestigious programs in the sport placing their bets on the star forward.

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