If Tuesday night’s game against the Georgia Bulldogs seemed familiar to fans, it’s because it was. A slow start and more struggled with physical defense hindered Kentucky basketball, and they lost to the Bulldogs 82 – 69.
It was a close game early on, and the Wildcats led by four halfway through the first half. However, Georgia’s shots began to fall, and they went on a 21 – 13 run that put them in front to stay.
The Bulldogs, like other teams this year, took advantage of Kentucky’s frontcourt deficiencies and got a lot of easy shots. The Cats trailed by 13 at halftime.
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Kentucky played better in the second half. They made a run and cut the lead to five, but Georgia went on and 11 – 4 run to put it basically out of reach.
Lamont Butler led the way for Kentucky with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Otega Oweh added 12 points and 7 boards. Brandon Garrison had his best game, with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Overall, it was another ugly statistical night for the Wildcats. They made just 37% of their shots and just 24% from three-point range. They were out-rebounded once again as well, something that has been a consistent problem.
Kentucky won’t have a lot of time to lick their wounds. They’ll take on the 14th ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, January 11th.
