The time has finally come for the Kentucky Wildcats to take the court and tip off their first game of the SEC Tournament in Nashville on Friday evening.
Winning 33 SEC Tournament Championships, the SEC Tournament has long been looked at as the ‘Big Blue Invitational,’ but as of late, that has not been the case. The conference has improved and become much deeper, with other teams like Alabama and Tennessee finding success.
Not making the SEC Championship game since 2018, the Wildcats will look to change that this season. That will start on Friday evening, with a rematch against the Texas A&M Aggies in the Quarterfinal Round, who is coming off a tough-fought win over Ole Miss.
For the Aggies, they are playing for their NCAA Tournament hopes. They need a win on Friday night to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament. A loss, and they’ll be sweating out Selection Sunday, especially if there are bid-stealers in other conferences. For Kentucky, a win will secure their spot as a 3-seed, and potentially make a late push as a 2-seed.
Flashback to the game in College Station back in January, it was one of Reed Sheppard’s first breakout performances in SEC play. However, the real story was the game of the guard duo of Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford, who combined for 59 points and led the Aggies to a 97-92 upset over Kentucky.
This time around, Kentucky has improved and plays through physicality much better, while Texas A&M looks much the same. But we all know how Kentucky brings the best out of opponents, so expect another inspired effort from Buzz Williams’ squad, fighting to keep their season alive.
Now, let’s look at a few things to watch heading into Friday night’s matchup.
Rebounding Battle
Although Kentucky succeeded in pushing the first game into overtime, they were fortunate to do so with a late push from Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard. What created so much trouble for Kentucky was the Aggies’ dominance on the boards.
In their winning effort, Texas A&M won the rebounding battle 54-46, which included 25 offensive rebounds. While not a very efficient offensive team, this allowed the Aggies to attempt six more field goals and nine additional foul shots in a game ultimately decided by five points.
Against a team that shoots below 40 percent on the season, one of the worst marks in the country, Kentucky cannot give up that many extra possessions. Combatting that starts with physicality on defense and the boards, and having the advantage in 50/50 balls.
This time around, the Wildcats will have maybe the most physical presence on the team, Adou Thiero, who was sidelined due to a back injury in the first matchup.
A&M players have already spoken about wanting to slow the game down and try to force Kentucky to play more of a ‘grind-it-out’ style. Expect an intense battle lasting the full 40 minutes.
Win or You’re Done Mentality
Kentucky won’t have to sweat things out on Selection Sunday, with most projections having them as 3 or 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, with a young and sometimes inconsistent team, it is key to get each player in the mindset of playing each game like it’s the last game. While it may not be true for the Cats this week in Nashville, it certainly will be in the next Tournament.
On Friday, the Cats will face an NCAA Tournament quality opponent, who is fighting for their NCAA Tournament hopes, in a postseason atmosphere. That is certainly beneficial.
If they come mentally prepared with that mindset, fight like every possession is your last, and win, they can lock up a 3-seed and could make a run at a 2-seed with Duke and Creighton being upset in their conference tournaments.
Backcourt Defense
Kentucky’s backcourt is one of the best in the country and they showed in the first matchup against A&M, at least offensively, putting up 68 of Kentucky’s 92 points. The issue came defensively, where they allowed Preseason SEC Player of the Year Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford to score 59 points.
Neither player is really efficient, both shooting less than 41 percent on the season, but they account for nearly half of the team’s shots. Both are willing shooters (obviously), but they are more dangerous on drives. Kentucky needs to stay between their man and the basket.
At that point, they also need to do their best to defend without fouling. In the first matchup Taylor and Radford combined for 21 free throws, the same amount Kentucky shot for the game. That wasn’t an outlier as they average almost 10 free throws per game.
Opposing Players to watch
G Wade Taylor 6-0, 175 pounds
- 18.0 PPG (4th in SEC)
- 3.5 RPG
- 4.1 APG (9th in SEC)
- 2.0 SPG (3rd in SEC)
G Tyrece Radford 6-3, 190 pounds
- 15.5 PPG
- 5.9 RPG
- 2.3 APG
- 41% from the field
F Andersson Garcia 6-7, 215 pounds
- 6.0 PPG
- 9.4 RPG
- 1.4 SPG
- 53.8% shooting (44.4% from 3)
- Date: March 15th, 2024
- Time: 7:00 pm ET
- TV Channel: The SEC Network will have TV coverage
- Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN
- Online Stream: WatchESPN and the 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 | A&M
- Stats to Know: UK | A&M
- KenPom: UK | A&M
- Team Sheets: UK | A&M
- Odds: No official spread yet, but the spread is expected to be around 6 points in favor of the Cats. KenPom gives Kentucky a 63% chance of winning, while EvanMiya has it at 70%.
- Predictions: KenPom has the Cats winning 81-78. EvanMiya projects an 81-76 victory, Kentucky! Check back later as more predictions roll in.
Also published on A Sea of Blue.
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