Georgia Bulldogs to play Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena
By John Buhler
The Georgia Bulldogs will carry their two-game winning streak to the toughest venue in the SEC in Rupp Arena to play Kentucky Wildcats Tuesday night at 9PM.
The Georgia Bulldogs have won their last two games on the hardwood by upsetting No. 25 South Carolina last Tuesday at Stegeman Coliseum, 69-56 and beating Auburn at home as well, 65-55.
Georgia enters play Tuesday night with a 13-8 record on the year and in sixth place in the SEC with a 6-4 conference record. Unfortunately, the Dawgs have only won of their 13 wins away from Stegeman Coliseum and they will have to play in the most difficult road environment in the SEC at Rupp Arena in Downtown Lexington, Kentucky Tuesday.
Tipoff between the Georgia Bulldogs and the 17-6 Kentucky Wildcats is at 9:00 PM ET and the game will air on ESPN. While Georgia has an outside shot at making the NCAA Tournament in 2016, they will need to essentially win out in regular season play which includes a tough road win in Lexington.
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In all honesty, this 2015-16 Kentucky Wildcats team isn’t the crème de la crème of the SEC this year. Keep in mind that last year’s team lost only one game all season and that came in the Final Four to the Wisconsin Badgers.
However, there isn’t a more NBA type of atmosphere in college basketball today than when the Kentucky Wildcats take to the hardwood. Big Blue Nation is one of the game’s most iconic fan bases and the Wildcats already have a Basketball Hall of Fame coach in John Calipari, arguably the best recruiter college basketball has ever seen.
Last season at Stegeman Coliseum, the Georgia Bulldogs nearly upset the then undefeated Wildcats in a late February nationally televised game, also on ESPN. Though UGA came up short to UK, it was a game that proved to the NCAA Selection Committee that Georgia did belong in the NCAA Tournament, ultimately earning a No. 10 only to lose in the first round to a Final Four team in the Michigan State Spartans.
Next: Georgia Bulldogs stifle Auburn Tigers, 65-55
For UGA to knock off Kentucky on the road in a slight upset, the Dawgs will need to have a great shooting night from their backcourt trio of J.J. Frazier, Kenny Gaines, and Charles Mann, a great game inside from power forward Yante Maten, and an overall strong game on the glass. If the Dawgs stay out of foul trouble and play well on both ends of the floor, they can beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena for another impressive win for the Tournament resume. Go Dawgs!