Top-ranked Wildcats continue run against Bulldogs
Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – The only undefeated team in the nation puts its flawless record on the line on Tuesday evening, as the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats play host to the Georgia Bulldogs in an SEC showdown at Rupp Arena.
With Virginia’s loss to Duke last weekend, John Calipari’s Wildcats are now the only unbeaten left in the country. Kentucky, which is off to the third- best start in school history at 21-0, kept its run at perfection going with Saturday’s 70-55 win over Alabama. The victory moved the team to 8-0 in conference play.
Mark Fox’s Bulldogs were without leading scorer Marcus Thornton over the weekend, as the star guard sat out against South Carolina due to concussion- like symptoms. It cost Georgia, which fell on the road, 67-50. The loss halted a five-game win streak for the Bulldogs, dropping the team to 14-6 overall and 5-3 in the conference.
This marks the 144th meeting between these two teams on the hardwood. Kentucky owns a sizable 118-26 series advantage, including a 57-5 mark in Lexington.
Without Thornton on the floor, Georgia really struggled, especially at the offensive end, matching the lowest scoring output of the season and shooting a season-low 22 percent from the field. The team did own a 42-33 edge in rebounding over South Carolina, but knocked down just 11 field goals in the game, including a mere four in the second half. J.J. Frazier led the team with 16 points, while Charles Mann chipped in with 14 points in the setback.
There is no denying that the Bulldogs are a much better team with Thornton in the lineup. The senior forward tops the team in both scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg), while delivering on 50.5 percent of his field-goals attempts. There is scoring balance on the roster, with Kenny Gaines (11.7 ppg), Mann (11.3 ppg), Frazier (11.0 ppg) and Nemanja Djurisic (10.8 ppg) all averaging double digits, for a team that manages 71.2 ppg when everyone is healthy and contributing.
Kentucky’s run is fueled by some of the nation’s best defensive play. Not many teams can match Kentucky’s defensive grit, as the team ranks second nationally in scoring defense (50.7 ppg) and first in both field-goal percentage defense (.326) and blocked shots (158). At the offensive end, Kentucky is led by Aaron Harrison’s 11.5 ppg. Devin Booker is a close second at 10.7 ppg. Big guys Willie Cauley-Stein (8.9 ppg, 35 blocks, 32 steals) and Karl-Anthony Towns (8.2 ppg, 49 blocks) represent one of the nation’s premier low-post tandems defensively.
While a strong defensive effort is usually the preferred gameplan for Kentucky this season, against Alabama, the team showed extreme efficiency at the other end of the floor, shooting a scorching 58.5 percent from the field, including 46.7 percent from behind the arc (7-of-15). Four Wildcats notched double figures in the win, led by Cauley-Stein and Towns, who checked in with 12 points apiece. Booker and Aaron Harrison were in double figures as well, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Categorized in: NCAA Basketball