In less than four hours we will find out if Kentucky can turn their season around and make a run towards March. The road to recovery for the Cats won't be easy, especially with the news of Willie Cauley-Stein's injury. Then there's the fact that four out of the next five games are on the road with one of them being a rematch with Elston Turner and A&M. Kentucky cannot afford to lose any of these games, but reality is they could lose all four. If that happens, that would spell disaster for this teams chances to make the tournament.
A few things has to happen for Kentucky to be successful and it all starts with Kyle Wiltjer and Alex Poythress. Poythress started the season with several twenty point games and then faded off in the distance for whatever reason. We seen signs of him returning to his former self against Tennessee, diving for loose balls and battling for rebounds, but he's got to do more. Alex has got to consistently score in double digits and play aggressive defense for Kentucky to win.
Then there's the issues of Kyle Wiltjer, sure he can't play defense and he struggles to rebound against physical opponents, but Kentucky is better when he's on the floor. They are better when he is hitting his shots and getting himself to the freethrow line. In all five of Kentucky's losses, Wiltjer shot the ball poorly and failed to reach double digits scoring. Against Tennessee, Kyle shot the ball well hitting 6-10 from the field, struggled a bit from three point range going 2-6, but ended the game with 17pts and 5rebs. It's no coincidence that he played well and Kentucky was able to pull it out in the end. This has to happen every game for the Cats to have a chance at success in the SEC.
It's time for these guys to put aside whatever issues they have (if there is any) and play as a team. It's time for them to play with a sense of urgency and determination they haven't shown all season. It's time for them to show why they were the #1 recruiting class in the country with all the lofty expectations. For Kentucky to turn things around and make some noise in March, the time is now.
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