Southeastern foes will collide when the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats (17-6) play the Georgia Bulldogs (13-8) at Rupp Arena. The game begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
The Wildcats dismantled Florida 80-61 on Saturday. Jamal Murray was the game’s high scorer with 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 65-55 win over Auburn on Saturday. J.J. Frazier shot 3 for 10 and led in scoring with 16 points.
Over the last five games, Murray and Tyler Ulis have been better than usual for the Wildcats. During that stretch, Murray has averaged 20.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.8 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Ulis has put up 21.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers. On the other side, the Bulldogs have been led by Frazier. He has been hot, averaging 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.6 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers in the same time frame.
The physical Georgia offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. It ranks 14th in the nation at getting to the stripe (FTA rate of 45.8), while Kentucky gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 270th-ranked FTA rate of 40.9).
The Wildcats come into this game 17-6 Straight Up (SU) and 10-13 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-2). The Wildcats have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 70.2 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 78.2 points per game. Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Kentucky in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.6 offensive boards per game. Turning to the defensive side, the Kentucky defense is very good at home, only giving up 63.5 points per game. Kentucky’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 5.0 three-pointers per game. The Wildcats are the 12th-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 5.7 blocks per game.
Across the court, the Bulldogs head into the game with records of 12-9 ATS and 13-8 SU. The Bulldogs have shown improvement on the offensive end over the most recent 10 game stretch. Over that span, Georgia is averaging 77.9 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 70.5. Georgia’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents shooting only .305 from the three.
This is the first meeting of the season for these conference foes. The last time they played, Kentucky came out on top, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over Georgia in their most recent meetings. At 5-5, they are even ATS. Kentucky has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last five matchups. Georgia has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kty, ATS Winner – Kty
Notes
The Kentucky Wildcats average 78.2 points per game, ranking 61st in the nation. The Georgia Bulldogs rank 72nd in points allowed with 67.7.
Georgia scores just 69.0 points per away game (ranked 154th). Kentucky ranks 48th in points allowed at home, giving up 63.5 points.
The Kentucky Wildcats rank 35th for their offensive rating of 113.7. The Georgia Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 98.5 (ranked 82nd).
On average, Kentucky has 68.8 possessions per game and scores 1.137 points on each possession. Georgia has both fewer possessions (68.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.029).
Georgia has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.3%. Kentucky is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Kentucky Wildcats average 18.0 three point attempts per game, and the Georgia Bulldogs attempt 17.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Kentucky is 7-4 and Georgia is 5-2.
Kentucky is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 25th. Georgia ranks 41st in defensive rebounds.
On average, Georgia forces a turnover rate of 16.7%. When Kentucky turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an exceptional 11-3 record.
