There’s no need to press the panic yet button for the No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats, but their losses against subpar teams must be very annoying to John Calipari. Nevertheless, the Wildcats must have a sense of urgency when they travel to Fayetteville tonight for a matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Read on for more about this game. You can also check out our previews of tonight’s NBA games: Spurs vs. Suns and Clippers vs. Cavaliers.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Kentucky Wildcats vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Preview
Where: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville
When: Thursday, January 21, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Arkansas Razorbacks – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats (13-4, 3-2 SEC)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Kentucky’s stock took another heavy hit on Saturday, when the Wildcats lost to Auburn, 75-70. It was the Wildcats’ fourth loss of the season, all coming against top 50-100 RPI teams. Kentucky will try to avoid another loss this Thursday against the Razorbacks, whom it has beaten twice over the past two meetings.
The Wildcats had a 12-point lead in the second half but succumbed to the torrent of threes Auburn sunk in its wild come-from-behind victory. Kentucky allows just 5.5 threes per game on the season, but let the Hogs go off for 12 three-pointers, keying Kentucky’s doom that game. Kentucky can’t be that loose defensively against Arkansas, which averages seven three-pointers per game on a conference-best 44.7 percent.
On offense, Kentucky should look to use the speed of its three-guard combo to deal damage on Arkansas. The Wildcats like to start the trio of Jamaal Murray, Tyler Ulis, and Isaiah Briscoe, who are Kentucky’s top three scorers. Murray, who scored 20 points against Auburn, is putting up 17.8 points per game, while Ulis and Briscoe average 14.4 and 10.7 points per game, respectively.
Kentucky is 98th in the nation with 77.3 points per contest.
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Betting on the Arkansas Razorbacks (9-8, 3-2 SEC)
Arkansas’ three-game win streak was snapped on Thursday, as the Hogs bowed down to Ben Simmons and LSU, 76-74. A win over Kentucky tonight, however, would go a long way for the Razorbacks, who’ve yet to take down a ranked opponent this season.
Arkansas would’ve likely won the game if it played a more honest defense. The Razorbacks committed 24 fouls and were outscored 17-7 on free throws. Having said that, Arkansas will have to play tighter defense against Kentucky, which has so many weapons on offense. Perhaps they could gamble a bit on defense later tonight, considering that Kentucky is shooting just 66.0 percent from the foul line thus far this season.
Moses Kingsley, who is averaging 16.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, failed to match his season averages in the LSU game, as he scored just 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds. He might be slowed down again later tonight by the Wildcats’ lengthy frontcourt, which means the Razorbacks might have to source better production from others on the team.
Anton Beard, who produced just nine points in the first three conference games, is starting to heat up. He’s scored 25 points in the last two contests, including 11 off the bench against LSU. Anthlon Bell, meanwhile, can’t afford to go invisible against Kentucky. He’s Arkansas’ leading scorer with 17.1 points per game on 46.3% shooting from the field.
Arkansas is 3-0 ATS in its last three games against Kentucky as the home team.
Writer’s Prediction
Kentucky wins, 87-77.
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