Sunday Quickies: On To Georgia Edition

The Cats are preparing to head to Athens to take on a Bulldog team riding high after beating Memphis

By Zac Oakes@ZacOakes Jan 5, 2020, 8:55am EST

With their SEC opener in the books and a victory in the win column, the Kentucky Wildcats now face the next challenge: an SEC road game against the Georgia Bulldogs, a team riding a wave of momentum with four consecutive wins including a 65-62 victory over a top-10 Memphis team yesterday.

SEC road matchups typically don’t come easy for Kentucky. Calipari always reminds everyone that when Kentucky comes to town, it’s the other team’s Super Bowl. While it’s repeated a lot, there is some truth to it, and the old adage will likely remain true in what should be a raucous Stegeman Coliseum Tuesday night at 9 p.m.

The interesting part of Georgia’s victory over Memphis yesterday was that it occurred without a huge performance from star freshman Anthony Edwards (remember him?) , the future top-5 NBA Draft pick who has been a superstar for the Bulldogs this season. Edwards, who is averaging more than 18 points per game this season, only scored 13 points but went 4-17 from the floor and 3-5 from the free throw line.

Instead, it was forward Rayshaun Hammonds that did most of the damage, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Nobody should expect Edwards to have another poor showing on Tuesday, so the Wildcats will certainly have their hands full against the Bulldogs on the road if they expect to pick up their second SEC win.

And we still don’t know for sure what the status of Ashton Hagans will be going into the game. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to sit out after suffering an ankle injury against Missouri, but if he is healthy and can go, the Cats will definitely need him to help defend Edwards.

The game is expected to tip off at 9 p.m. on ESPN on Tuesday.