Saturday, December 6, 2014

Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky Pre-View



Kentucky is back in action tomorrow evening, this time to take on in-state foe, Eastern Kentucky University.


Last night saw Kentucky play their worst game offensively and still win over a top ten team in Texas by double digits.  So to say that EKU will have their hands full is putting it lightly. The Colonels don't have a player over 6'8", but the one thing they do have is five starters who average double-digit points and a couple of them shoot the three around the 40% mark on the season. Kentucky will have to guard the three and take care of business on the inside to keep the idea of an upset out of the Colonels minds.

Since this is an in-state opponent, let's take a look at their school's history real quick...



SCHOOL HISTORY:

EST:  1906

ENROLLMENT:  15,968

LOCATION:  Richmond, Ky

COLORS:  Maroon/White

MASCOT:  The Colonels

CONFERENCE:  Ohio Valley Conference

EKU comes into tomorrow nights game with a record of 4-2 on the season so far. Their only two losses came at the hands of Valparaiso and BYU which is also the two best teams that they have faced so far this season. The Colonels are ranked 21st in the country in points per game at 81.2. Just for comparisons sake, Kentucky is ranked 49th in the country averaging 77 points per contest. So, it's safe to say that EKU can score the ball, but can they handle Kentucky's relentless defense and the sheer amount of bodies they can throw at them?


Now, let's here's a look at the Colonels roster so you know what will be on the floor tomorrow night....



As I said earlier, size is something Kentucky won't have to deal with like they did against Texas. But, the scoring potential is something that they will have to pay some attention to for sure. Here's a look at the season averages by EKU...




Three point shooting is something that Eastern will rely on heavily in this game as their lack of size will prevent any options down low. So it will be fun to see if the Colonels can shoot over Kentucky's extreme length on the perimeter. The one stat that really sticks out is the 12 steals per game average by EKU. That's good enough to be ranked second in the nation and something that will cause Kentucky problems tomorrow night. Here's a little more in depth comparison head-to-head...




Tomorrow will be another game that Kentucky should dominate easily. I say that with confidence because if by some chance EKU pulls the upset, this is a game that the Cats should handle easily.

Tune in tomorrow night at 6 on the SEC Network to watch the Cats and Colonels go head-to-head on the hardwood.




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