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Kentucky Basketball Preview: The Georgia Bulldogs

By Frank Spencer

Jan 31, 2017; Lexington, KY, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) dribbles the ball against Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) in the first half at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2017; Lexington, KY, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard J.J. Frazier (30) dribbles the ball against Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) in the first half at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky Basketball travels to Athens this weekend in a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Kentucky and Georgia squared off in Rupp Arena on January 31. The Wildcats got more than what they bargained for in a tough overtime win on the back of Malik Monk’s 37 points. Monk hit a clutch jumper as time was expiring to send the game into overtime. If not for the young guard’s performance, the Cats would have lost three straight games.

Coincidentally, Kentucky dropped the following game at Florida. It could have been a stretch of four games with a loss for this young Kentucky Basketball Team.

The Georgia Bulldogs

Mark Fox’s squad consists of one of the top players in the conference in Yante Maten. In Georgia’s visit to Lexington this season, Maten put up a great line of 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The Junior Forward is averaging 19.4 PPG along with 7.2 RPG. He is a load for any team that he plays and looks to have a future in the NBA.

Two other players gave John Calipari’s team fits in the previous matchup as well. J.J. Frazier finished his Lexington visit with 23 points as well as three rebounds and five assists. Frazier’s yearly average is hovering around 17 points per game.

The big man down low, Derek Ogbeide averages just over seven points per contest, but poured in 18 in his fist altercation with the Kentucky frontcourt. Ogbeide also pulled down 13rebounds off of the glass giving a great spark in offense for the Bulldogs. Kentucky will have to tame this three-headed monster if they want to continue to make progress.

Kentucky Looks to Finish Strong

John Calipari has preached defensive principles to his team after a few cupcake games got close at the end. There is no reason for an LSU team to make the runs they did late in their contest at Rupp.

The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 21-5 record. Malik Monk and company have put together a three game win streak headed into the last two weeks of the regular season. With three out of the five remaining games on the road, plus home matchups against  Vanderbilt and Florida, the Kentucky Wildcats look to finish strong headed into the SEC Tournament.

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The Cats, led by Malik Monk’s 21.7 PPG, need to make a statement here to conclude the season to improve their possibility of getting a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Committee recently released the current rankings on February 11, with Kentucky as a 3-seed in the East Bracket. Kentucky may have room to knock someone off of a two seed if they win out and take home their third SEC Championship in consecutive seasons.

The matchup will air on ESPN at 6:00 pm E.T. You can also stream the game online at Watch ESPN or follow along on the UK Radio Network.

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