The Kentucky Wildcats have seemingly turned a corner. A trouncing of South Carolina on the road was the latest statement made by the youthful Cats. UK will attempt to put the struggling Aggies down and remain atop the SEC standings.
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HOW THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
In a first place showdown with South Carolina last weekend, the Wildcats left no doubt who has the better team. It’s finally safe to say this team has turned a corner and is now on a road to improving and gearing up for another tournament run.
It’s hard to imagine Tyler Ulis can be any better and it really is a broken record now, but Ulis is simply one of the best point guards in college basketball. He can truly do it all. If he wanted to score 30 points a game, he could. If he wanted to get 15 assists a game, he could seemingly do that, too.
However, instead of trying to do individual things in bulk, he is the perfect player to fill whatever gap is needed to win games and make others better. When he wants to take over a game he just drops in 27 with 12 dimes, much like he did against the Gamecocks.
As good as the backcourt of Ulis and Jamal Murray is, the play of the Wildcats frontcourt remains a key to the team’s success. Marcus Lee and Derek Willis are complements to the best guard pair and Skal Labissiere has seen extended minutes. We could also see Alex Poythress back in the lineup after he missed several games with a knee injury.
HOW THE TEXAS AM AGGIES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Aggies need a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and getting back home might be just what they need. A pair of losses last week extended their slide to four straight with three of those coming on the road. The Aggies are 13-1 at home this season and defeated LSU and Florida as part of their 7-0 conference start.
Recent performances indicate home court advantage may not be enough. The Aggies need considerable improvement in many areas. The Aggies committed 77 turnovers in their league losses and have been killed on the offensive glass. Opponents have been doing considerable damage from beyond the arc, as well.
Leading scorer Jalen Jones is recovering from a hip-pointer that slowed him the past few games. Alex Caruso has been uncharacteristically unreliable with the basketball and Danuel House has been inconsistent.
It’s not a lack of talent that has caused the Aggies to slide. They were 18-3 and ranked as high as No. 5 before the struggles began. The issues facing them all can be easily resolved and the healthy return of Jones is a start.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Aggies are hopeful a return to Reed Arena is what they need to snap out of a funk that has dropped them from a championship contender to an also-ran in the SEC race. After winning their first seven league games, the Aggies lost five of six with four of those losses coming on the road. The problems are more glaring than just playing away games, however. Jones is obviously hobbled by his hip injury and House just hasn’t been the same player he was earlier in the season. A rash of turnovers has caused the offensive efficiency to plummet and it’s time for the senior leaders to step up. Facing a red-hot Wildcats squad isn’t the elixir to cure the problems. Ulis and Murray have been masterful in UK’s backcourt and the team was sparked by coach John Calipari’s early ejection in a throttling of South Carolina last weekend. Should UK play with the same intensity, there will be no stopping them.
Kentucky 83, Texas AM 74
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