Wednesday night Kentucky goes into the always tough Bud Walton Arena to take on a struggling Arkansas team (16-10 overall 5-7 in conference) losing 4 of their last 8 . But this is a team that should not be taken lightly. They are always a tough game for the Wildcats, and we all know how Kentucky has struggled on the road this season.
Kentucky has also struggled this season with their defense of the three point shot, this is not one of the teams they can do that with. They have sharpshooter Rotnei Clarke, who averages 13.8 ppg and shoots 44% from three. He has the quickest shot release I have ever seen, and will shoot it from anywhere on the floor. I imagine Kentucky will play DeAndre Liggins on him a lot in this game to try and limit Clarkes touches. But if he gets hot from deep he can really fill it up.
The other player Kentucky will have to control is #33 F Marshawn Powell. He can score down low averaging 10.7 ppg, he is a decent rebounder averaging 4.2 rpg. But still a threat to put up good numbers in both categories. But the main guy on this team that can hurt you is Rotnei Clarke. If they can keep him in check, Kentucky should win this one. But we all know how teams play against Kentucky, so it wouldn't be surprising to see a close game till the end.
Kentucky needs this game to stay in the race for second in the eastern division, and a chance for a bye in the SEC tournament. Not to mention Kentucky needs to prove that they can win on the road to help their chances of getting a good seed in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky should win this game going away according to stats, but Kentucky has blown some games they really should have won this season. You never know what Kentucky team you are going to get, if the team that played Ole Miss shows up then it will be a long night. However, if the team the played S.C. this past Saturday shows up, then this game will be over at halftime.
So let's hope it's the latter team that I mentioned above, and we can get the elusive road win that we need.
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