Kentucky will FINALLY be back in action Tuesday night as they get the SEC portion of their schedule started when they take on the Rebels of Ole Miss in Rupp Arena.
We haven't seen the Cats since their dispatching of Louisville on 12/27 which seems like three months ago. Over the break, Camp Cal was in full swing and in typical Calipari fashion, he hinted at another "tweak" that has made everyone better and it is something he said he wished he had done sooner. Made everyone better? Hell, I'm a Kentucky fan, but if it has really made everyone better then that even scares me a little bit.
Kentucky will enter Tuesday's game against the Rebels ranked #1 in the country while carrying a 13-0 record. Ole Miss on the other hand comes in with a 9-4 record with losses to Dayton, Western Kentucky, TCU and Charleston Southern. They do however have some pretty good wins against #23 Creighton (75-68), Oregon (79-73) and Cincinnati (66-54). Those are some pretty good wins against some quality teams, so Tuesday's game should not be taken lightly by the Cats.
Here's a look at what the Cats will be facing come, Tuesday...
Ole Miss has some guys who, when hot, can fill it up from the outside. So perimeter defense is a must, especially since the game will be played in Rupp Arena and we all know how other teams shoot inside Rupp. The Rebels are 48th in the country in the rebounding department and with Kentucky struggling to rebound on the defensive end, that will be something to keep your eye on throughout the course of the game.
Now, let's see what kind of size Ole Miss has on their team...
With 6 guys 6'9" or taller, Kentucky will have to competition down low, something they haven't had very many times so far this season.
The series between these two clubs is a long one, one that dates all the way back to 1925 where the Cats won the first ever match-up 26-23. Overall, Kentucky owns the series with a record of 102-13. Kentucky won the last meeting by a score of 84-70.
There's been a lot of talk of this Kentucky team going undefeated, especially since their win versus Louisville. The main reason is, most think that since Louisville is out of the way, their isn't another team on the schedule that will pose any real threat to the Cats. First, haven't we learned our lesson with undefeated talk? It wasn't too long ago that we had 40-0 T-shirts printed up only to lose soon there after. The difference this time is, it's not Kentucky fans talking undefeated season (yes there is some that are) instead, it's national media who were making the bold prediction some done so even before the season started.
I'm not at all concerned with an undefeated season. For one, it's something that is extremely hard to accomplish. I mean, there's a reason no-one has done it since 1976, it's not that easy to do. When you take into consideration that we have seen teams like George Mason, Butler and VCU making Final Fours, then things get put a little more in perspective. So, for now, let's put the undefeated crap away and just concentrate on what we have in front of us right now. An unbelievable team that has accomplished somethings so far that we didn't think would happen.
Tune in Tuesday night at 7pm and watch the Cats take on Ole Miss...
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