Here is the statistical comparison between Kentucky and LSU.

Well, we out-statistic LSU, but to be honest, it is cold comfort.  When you look at our national rankings in many categories, they have really suffered since the last game, and not surprisingly.  Perhaps surprisingly to some, our RPI went up, but if you consider that the RPI doesn't take the game score into account, you shouldn't be.  Not surprisingly, our strength of schedule went up.  I'm not sure that matters too much.

LSU has very recently become a decent basketball team, coincident to the firing of head coach John Brady.  I doubt Brady's coaching had much to do with LSU's struggles so far this year, because the Tigers are a very young team that has been beset with difficulties.  I'll discuss that more in my adversary analysis, but one thing we should recognize is that LSU has been playing much better lately.  Tennessee escaped Batton Rouge by the skin of their teeth on an unfortunate last-second turnover that lead to a Volunteer winning basket, and the very next game, the Bayou Bengals defeated Billy Donovan's young Gator squad.

On the other hand, Kentucky is reeling from a resounding thumping in Nashville, the likes of which the Big Blue faithful have not seen for decades.  That will surely leave a mark, and it will be instructive to see how the team responds to adversity, because, brothers and sisters, Tuesday's game definitely qualifies as "adversity."

I'll have a more in-depth look at the game in my adversary analysis.  For more on the LSU Tigers, please be sure to visit our SBNation brothers at And The Valley Shook.

Thanks again to Statsheet.com and Basketball State for the statistical data.