LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisiana State is one of five opponents that has defeated John Calipari’s University of Kentucky men’s basketball team this season.
The Tigers are the first team the Wildcats have an opportunity to pay back for the defeat. (Although the record shows UK defeated Tennessee prior to the Vols’ victory in Knoxville last week.)
Kentucky delivered its most impressive victory this season last Saturday, handling Alabama, 90-81, without injured starting guards TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler. Their availability for LSU will be determined at game time.
LSU needs the win to avoid dropping below .500 in Southeastern Conference play. Kentucky needs the win to maintain the Wildcats’ shot at a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats finish the week with a trip to Arkansas Saturday. The Razorbacks won at Florida Tuesday night, giving Eric Musselman’s team 12 victories in their last 13 games. Arkansas is the hottest team in the SEC.
But first, LSU.
Time/Place: Wednesday, 9 p.m., Rupp Arena, Lexington.
TV: ESPN — Karl Ravech, play by play; Jimmy Dykes, analyst.
Records: LSU 19-8, overall, 7-7, tied for sixth in the SEC; Kentucky 22-5, 11-3, second place.
The Last Time: The Tigers defeated UK, 65-60, on Jan. 4 in Baton Rouge in a game the Wildcats led by 3 with 10 minutes to play. But Wheeler, UK’s point guard, was limited to 4 minutes after he was injured running into a screen and Washington also left with an injury in the second half.
The Ratings: The Tigers are ranked 32nd in the AP poll, No. 18 in Ken Pomeroy’s computer power formula and 17th in the NCAA Net formula. UK is 6th in the AP poll, second in KenPom and third in Net.
The Quote from Calipari on his injured guards:
"Everybody's going to ask me about Sahvir, and TyTy. They didn't practice (Monday). They're day-to-day. Will they play in Wednesday's game? I don't know yet. They may not, and if they don't, we go and next man up."
The News: After a 3-1 start in SEC play that included victories over Kentucky and Tennessee, LSU has gone 4-7 in its last 11 league games. The Tigers are 1-5 in their last six road games, including stumbles at South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
The Matchup That Matters: Tari Eason, a transfer from Cincinnati, is ranked the second-best player in the SEC at Ken Pomeroy, trailing only national player of the year front-runner Oscar Tshiebwe of UK. At 6 feet 8 and 216 pounds, Eason lacks Tshiebwe’s muscle. But he’s a dangerous shooter, making nearly 36% of his three-point attempts and 58% of his two-point attempts.
Strengths: Defense is LSU’s calling card. The Tigers lead the SEC in steal percentage and rank fourth in defensive efficiency. Kentucky has the SEC’s most efficient offense and best three-point attack (38.1%).
Weaknesses: LSU can’t win a shootout. The Tigers rank last in the SEC in offensive efficiency. Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee all held the Tigers under 60 points. Injuries are Kentucky’s biggest issue. Calipari needs to get his team healthy for the games that matter.
Tasty Tidbits: Tshiebwe is cruising toward finishing the season as the nation’s top rebounder. His 15.2 rebounds per game average is 1.5 more than runner-up Fardaws Aimag of Utah Valley and well ahead North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, who is third at 12.3 per game … the game is the third of four consecutive games Kentucky will play against opponents ranked in the Top 25 in the NCAA Net ranking … UK has played only 12 games at full strength this season … according to nxtprohoops.com, LSU’s Eason ranks second nationally to Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga in plus-minus. The Tigers have outscored their opponents by an average of 14.1 points per game when Eason is on the floor.
Prediction: Kentucky 81, LSU 67.
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