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The Kentucky Wildcats will go on the road to Athens Saturday to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs are riding high after winning back-to-back games against Tennessee and Mississippi State. The Wildcats last faced them on February 1 at Rupp Arena, where Kentucky escaped Georgia’s upset bid in overtime with a 90-81 victory thanks to 37 points from Malik Monk and a near triple-double from Isaiah Briscoe.
The Bulldogs had a strong shooting night, shooting 49.2 percent from the floor and 60 percent from behind the arc.
They’ll be desperate for a win over the Wildcats after seeing that game slip through their fingers, not to mention the Bulldogs are in desperate need of quality victories and momentum heading into the SEC Tournament, in which they will need to make a major run (if not win it all) to have a chance at the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats will have to keep an eye on Georgia guard J.J. Frazier, who scored 23 points and dished out five assists in the teams’ first meeting, as well as forward Yante Maten who scored 22 points. The Wildcats will likely focus on forward Derek Ogbeide, who scored a season-high 18 points against Kentucky earlier this season, while tying a season-high with 13 rebounds.
For the Wildcats, they will look to continue their three-game winning streak as they look to gain momentum going into the postseason and potentially move up to a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats are currently projected as a 3-seed. An impressive win over the Bulldogs would be a huge step forward.
Also of note, De’Aaron Fox was out for the last time these two teams met. It’s clear to see how much of a difference Fox makes on the floor, and that will likely be evident when these two teams take the floor Saturday evening.
Here is everything you’ll need to watch and follow this matchup:
Kentucky Wildcats (21-5, 11-2 in SEC) Georgia Bulldogs (15-11, 6-7 in SEC)
Game Time: 6 p.m. EST on Feb. 18
Location: Stegeman Coliseum
TV: ESPN
Live Online Stream: Watch ESPN
Radio: UK Radio Network with Tom Leach and Mike Pratt
Odds: Kentucky opened as a 7-point favorite. KenPom projected the Cats to be a 6.5-point favorite.
Score Prediction: KenPom projects an 80-73 win by Kentucky and gives the Cats an 72-percent chance of winning.