Game Day Links: Kentucky Wildcats vs LSU Tigers

Feb 18, 2014; Oxford, MS, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari yells at his players after some players reacted aggressively after a play during the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Tad Smith Coliseum. Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Mississippi Rebels 84-70. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats are welcoming the Tigers of LSU to Rupp Arena, Saturday February 22, 2014 at 4:00pm. The Tigers, 16-9, 7-6 in the SEC, beat the Wildcats in Baton Rouge 87-82 on January 28. You can watch the game on ESPN or on the UK IMG Sports Network for radio listeners.

According to Jerry Tipton, of the Lexington Herald Leader, when asked about the loss to LSU in the most recent media press conference,  James Young stated

"“It was pretty bad,” he said of UK’s 87-82 loss in Baton Rouge last month. “We didn’t come out to play as well as we should have. And we took them lightly.“… We’re going to have to give them a little payback when they get here.”“I just heard from a couple guys who played here before, saying they’re not good, and stuff like that.“So I just came out there and didn’t really take them like they were going to come out and play hard. And they did.”"

The Wildcats know they must come out and play their best basketball and that LSU cannot be taken lightly. Even though since their win against the Wildcats, the Tigers have went 3-3, with all 3 losses coming from road games, the Tigers are confident they have a fighting chance against the Wildcats.

Johnny O’Bryant is the key player to watch against the Wildcats this afternoon. On January 28, O’Bryant scored his season high 29 points and was even able to grab 9 rebounds against the Wildcats. O’Bryant is a player the Wildcats have to keep an eye on. O’Bryant went off against the Wildcats once, he is capable of doing it again.

Ken Howlett, from CoachCal.com posted three keys to victory against the LSU Tigers January 28. The Wildcats are going to have to use the previous three keys to victory in order to walk out of Rupp Arena with the win

"THREE KEYSHandle the quickness of the smallish LSU guards – The Tigers boast two of the fastest guards in the SEC in Hickey and Stringer, something UK has struggled with this season. Making matters more difficult for the Cats, the speedsters are No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference in assist/turnover ratio. UK’s guards must be mindful of guarding LSU’s perimeter players too closely because both Hickey and Stringer have quick first steps and have the ability to get into the lane, creating all manner of havoc for the Cats. At the same time, UK cannot sag too far off of LSU’s guards because both are capable of knocking down the 3-pointer, especially Stringer. When playing half-court defense, Kentucky’s interior help must be ready and the defensive rotation must be on time or risk the Tigers’ guards creating a multitude of scoring opportunities.Crash the glass – Not unlike LSU’s dynamic back-court duo, the Tigers’ big men are both at the top of the conference in key stats, with O’Bryant and Mickey averaging roughly 14.5 rebounds per  game between them to go along with their plus-50.0 percent shooting. As mentioned above, Mickey leads the league in blocked shots per game. O’Bryant is a space-eating earth mover not averse to using his hips and behind to gain possession on the opponent, while Mickey is more of a jumping jack, hustling for every loose ball, every rebound. After being beat on the boards by both Tennessee and Georgia, UK must make a priority of hitting the glass with abandon, for LSU will take advantage of soft board work. Kentucky must be physical with LSU down low, putting a body on any potential LSU rebounders or the Tigers will wear out UK on the glass.Be mentally tough – John Calipari has talked this week about being mentally tough on the road, particularly in end-game situations when fatigue is more likely to cause mistakes. Although UK has played well on the road this season, late-game mental breakdowns have potentially cost the Cats a couple of hard-to-come-by road wins. If Kentucky is to capitalize on its talent and become a serious contender for a Final Four run, being mentally tough early and late in games, especially when not playing in Rupp Arena, are keys to unlocking the potential this team possesses."

These three keys haven’t changed in order for the Wildcats to pull out the win. They must be defensively strong in all aspects of the game while putting up points, too. The Wildcats have a chance to win this afternoon against the Tigers, a chance to seek revenge against a team they lost to thanks to poor execution and lacking effort. Let’s see how well this young, but strongly improved Wildcat team handles the Tigers this afternoon, it should be a cat fight.