NCAA Basketball Kentucky WildcatsSEC Basketball

Kentucky Won’t Go Undefeated In The SEC

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By @JamesSzuba

Coach Calipari

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

There has been a lot of talk of late regarding Kentucky running the table and entering the NCAA tournament with an unblemished record. Although getting to the tournament undefeated has been done before, it is a tall order. 

Time and again, college basketball surprises fans with a David vs. Goliath match up where David emerges as the victor. It’s borderline naive to believe that Kentucky won’t come across a matchup like this. After all, Kentucky’s biggest challenges thus far has been the first halves against Buffalo and Columbia, both of which were at home.

There is no denying that Kentucky can score inside with unparalleled athleticism and height, but their outside shooting has been suspect. Kentucky is shooting 32.1 percent from deep this season. Except for Devin Booker, no Wildcat shoots over 33 percent (minimum 25 attempts) from 3-point land. Eventually, poor shooting catches up to teams.

The SEC is down this year, but teams like LSU, Alabama and Arkansas will put up a good fight against Kentucky. The Wildcats play a veteran Alabama team twice in conference play. Alabama’s top five players are upperclassmen with a wealth of experience, and veteran play has proven to be vital in college basketball.

LSU is talented team offensively and can rebound with the best of them. In fact, LSU ranks 18th nationally in rebounds per game. LSU beat a good West Virginia  team in Morgantown and pulled down 44 rebounds in the process. If any team in the SEC can match Kentucky’s height, it’s LSU.

Speaking of talented offensive teams, Arkansas is just that. Only eight teams score more points than Arkansas in the nation. Averaging 84.9 points per game, the Razorbacks can score in a big way. If Kentucky’s shots aren’t falling and they fail to contain Arkansas, that could spell trouble for Big Blue Nation. Who knows, Michael Qualls might even have a game-winning put-back dunk.

Let’s not forget that Kentucky still has to play Florida twice. Billy Donovan openly admitted that his team was overrated to start the season, but if the Gators are healthy and playing traditional Florida basketball, they will be a tough out … as long as they don’t tip in any of Kentucky’s shots at the buzzer.

It will be interesting to watch Kentucky the rest of the way as many believe their toughest competition is in the rear view, but don’t expect Kentucky to come out of the SEC untarnished.

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