Kentucky basketball: Game preview and 3 keys to victory vs Mizzou
By Drew Koch
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Kassius Robertson
A pair of Canadians go head to head on Saturday when Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes up against Missouri’s Kassius Robertson. Who will get the better of this match up, the Cats’ freshman or the Tigers’ senior?
Gilgeous-Alexander had his best game of the season for the Kentucky basketball team on Tuesday against Vanderbilt. Shai showed outstanding poise late in the game converting two free throws in the waning seconds to send the game into overtime. SGA scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting.
Enter fellow Canadian and current Missouri Tiger Kassius Robertson. Robertson leads the Tigers in scoring with 16 points per game. Robertson is no stranger to the Wildcats, as the former four-year player from Canisius played as a member of the Golden Griffins during last season’s opener against UK. He dropped 16 points in that game.
As a graduate-transfer for Mizzou, he has helped Kounzo Martin salvage his first season in Columbia with star freshman Michael Porter Jr. saddled with a back injury and is unlikely to play this season. Robertson has scored 20-plus points in the Tigers’ last three contests.
Robertson is a huge threat from beyond the arc. The fifth-year senior is hitting 41.7% from three-point range. Pulling up from downtown 7 plus times per game, Robertson will likely force the Kentucky basketball team out of their 2-3 zone.
The match up between the two Canadians will be intriguing to watch and may help decide the outcome. Here’s hoping the kid from Hamilton can out-duel his elder from Ontario.