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After blowing another game in the critical period, the Kentucky Wildcats are looking to bounce back Tuesday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Arkansas enter the game with a 14-5 record and they are looking for a high seed in the SEC tournament, assuming theirs is. They enter that game without having played since February 2 after their Saturday clash with Texas A&M was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Aggies program. The Razorbacks will therefore enter Tuesday’s game with a bit of potential rust, but also more rested than the Cats.
The Wildcats are down to 5-12, and really appear to be in for a downfall after three straight losses, the last two of which were controlled by Kentucky in the second period. Keion Brooks Jr. stepped up and is now Kentucky’s leading scorer with 11.8 points per game. But in the home stretch against Tennessee, when the defense focused on him, there were no other good options for getting buckets.
The Razorbacks have a balanced offense with four players averaging in double digits. Their top scorer is first-year goaltender Moses Moody, who averages 16.4 points per game, including five outings over 21 points. He’s also screened as a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Hogs don’t play with much height, as five of their top seven are guards, but they actually have one of the biggest centers in America at Connor Vanover. The second 7-3 is averaging 7.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in just 18.8 minutes per game. Kentucky already struggles to miss point-blank layups, and driving all the way to the rim with Vanover roaming the paint will only make life harder.
Junior guard JD Notae (13.7 ppg), senior forward Justin Smith (11.3 ppg and 6.7 rpg), senior guard Jalen Tate (10.6 ppg and 4.5 apg) and junior guard Desi Sills (10.6 ppg) round out Arkansas’ double-digit scorers.
Another name to watch is first-year goaltender Davonte Davis, who is starting to emerge as a legitimate option for the Hogs. He’s doubled in numbers in three straight games and five of his last eight, including a 20-point outing in a home win over Georgia.
Arkansas isn’t a particularly strong shooting team, but as we’ve seen this season, Rupp Arena often magically turns their opponents into snipers behind the three-point line. The Hogs’ top three-pointers are Moody (35.2%) and Tate (38.3%).
Arkansas have won four of their last five games with their only loss to Oklahoma State in the SEC / Big 12 Challenge. While they don’t have huge gains on their schedule, they don’t have bad losses either. Probably the worst loss of their record was at LSU which is a tough place to play.
At this point, Kentucky is playing for pride. Yes, in theory, a victory in the SEC Tournament would take them to the NCAA Tournament. But this team is going to have an uphill battle to enter any postseason tournament. Their current resume is one the NIT committee would laugh at.
Big questions come into play when team success is no longer an option. Will players start to be more selfish to bolster the numbers for a better draft position? Are the guys going to start looking to retire or transfer? Or will they keep pushing each other for playtime and battle in practice?
This sea has obviously been a disaster, but any victory you can get at this point eases the pain. Kentucky can certainly beat this Arkansas team, but they’ll have to play a different brand of basketball than we’ve seen for most of this season.
Kentucky Wild Cats (5-12) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (14-5)
Game time: 7 p.m. ET Tuesday, February 9
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV channel: ESPN
Stream online: WatchESPN and fuboTV (free trial).
Radio: Tom Leach and Mike Pratt will have the UK radio network calling at 630 AM, 98.1 FM in Lexington and on the UK Sports Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC network (check local listings).
Lists: United Kingdom | ARK
Scores from the last game box: United Kingdom | ARK
Statistics to know: United Kingdom | ARK
Chances: Arkansas opened as a 1.5-point favorite. The Cats have failed to cover six of their last seven games. ESPN’s match predictor gives Arkansas a 61.8% chance of winning. KenPom gives Kentucky 46% chance of winning.
Prediction: KenPom projects the Hogs to win 70-69.
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