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Kentucky’s Biggest Threat for Quarterfinal Round of The SEC Tournament

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 will play the winner of the Tennessee Volunteers or the Georgia Bulldogs in the Quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament.

Both teams pose a great threat to the Kentucky Basketball program. The idea behind the matchups, is that Tennessee is one of Kentucky’s five losses on the season. On the other hand, Georgia has played Kentucky close on two separate occasions.

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So we have posed a question, who would you rather play in the quarterfinal round, if you are John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats?

The Case Against Georgia

The team in the SEC that matches up well, if not better than any other team is Georgia. Mark Fox’s squad down there in Athens is a dangerous team when all of the pieces are flowing in one motion. Junior Forward, Yante Maten is an absolute stud inside. Maten was injured in the Wildcats’ trip to Athens on February, 18. The Georgia Bulldog’s co-leading scorer hasn’t played in a game since his injury.

In 39 minutes, Maten scored 22 points while grabbing five rebounds. His counterpart, JJ Frazier scored 23 points in the contest. Thankfully, the Cats were sent into overtime on a Malik Monk jumper in the corner. The Cats would pull away in the end.

Frazier has come on strong this season. The Senior Guard was just named an All-SEC first team member along with Yante Maten.

The Duo together, can be dangerous if things are going their way. Although Maten went out with an injury in the second meeting between the Cats and Dawgs, Frazier still scored a game high 36 points. The Wildcats managed to pull out an 82-77 victory but one would wonder if Maten was in the game, whether or not things would’ve been played differently.

The Case against Tennessee

The Volunteers are one of the five teams to defeat the Kentucky Basketball team this season. The Cats traveled to Thomson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, to take on the Vols on January 24. The result of the game ended with Kentucky driving north with their tail tucked between their legs. An awful defensive effort scarred the young Cats during a very winnable game. The final score was 82-80.

Despite big performance from Bam Adebayo (21 points), Malik Monk (25 points) and De’Aaron Fox (17 points) the Cats could not get over the hump.

In other news, the Volunteers paid a visit to Rupp Arena on February 14. In that matchup, the Cats played very good defense holding the Vols to two scorers in double digits. Kentucky finished the game five players scoring double digits including, Dominique Hawkins (10 points) and Derek Willis (16 points). When the Cats get that kind of production off of the bench, they are hard to beat.

The Verdict

Kentucky Basketball fans need to be aware of the Georgia Bulldogs. After narrowly escaping two separate games with wins, the Bulldogs may have the number on the Wildcats.

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It took an overtime thriller, and a start All-SEC player to go down with injury in order for the Cats to pick up two wins against Mark Fox’s squad. People want to talk about all of the NBA players on Kentucky’s teams. Mark Fox has a duo of future professionals as well in Maten and Frazier. If the Bulldogs get past the Tennessee Volunteers, expect a showdown to the finish in Nashville on Friday afternoon.

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