John Calipari’s club comes off a tough loss in Baton Rouge on Tuesday and has some work to do if they want to take home the SEC crown and potentially challenge for a number one seed. They only lost the game by a handful of points, but they were essentially dominated by a squad against which they had a serious interior advantage over.
This game with Frank Haith and the Missouri Tigers will feature two polar opposite clubs. While the Tigers are mostly young and thin on the interior compared to Kentucky’s massive front line, the Tiger guards are spectacular at times and have been far more productive than what the Wildcats counter with.
Kentucky’s biggest issue in being as good as some think they can be centers around their guard play. Calipari did a phenomenal job in recruiting centers and power forwards, but he neglected the acquisition of a reliable point man and is paying for it.
Fortunately, the Harrison twins are reasonably well equipped for this game. LSU and Arkansas featured pressure defense that generated turnovers and transition opportunities, which ultimately negated the great strength and size on the inside for UK.
Missouri is not as good defensively as either club, ranking barely inside the top 100. While their guards are special, they have been primarily offensive minded assets who don’t enjoy getting dirty on the defensive side of the ball.
Jordan Clarkson, Jabari Brown and Earnest Ross are all 6’5 and are well built. They have broad shoulders and get to the free throw line with consistency. But Kentucky has the size to negate easy baskets, and it’s likely that Missouri will have to win this game by shooting the deep ball well.
The Tigers rank 78 in 3P shooting efficiency, but Kentucky actually defends the three point shot pretty well. Their length at the guard position creates difficult shooting angles for the opposition, and that could be a critical factor here.
Missouri is a decent team, but their interior is very questionable in comparison to what Kentucky brings to the table. The Wildcats have yet to suffer back to back losses this season, and I do not expect it to happen in this game.
Look for the Wildcats to be a small favorite here. They were a heavy public draw on Tuesday, but bettors will probably be off their bandwagon given the loss in Baton Rouge. Missouri has the guard play to dictate things here, but it’ll be interesting to see how things shape up in this one.
