The Kentucky Wildcats were routed by the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday night in Athens by a score of 82-69.
The Cats got off to a terrible start. The officiating was bad. The offense was worse. And the defense was the worst. Kentucky just couldn’t get anything going on either side of the ball. It was an abysmal showing all around as the Dawgs took a 47-34 lead into the half.
After the break, the Cats fought back, but every time they cut the lead, Georgia answered. To put it nicely, it was a flat-out embarrassing performance. Kentucky didn’t just lose, but they once again were manhandled by a bad team.
First, it was Clemson. Then, it was Ohio State. And now this?
Mark Pope’s squad is good, but they’re not great and it’s going to be a long season if Kentucky can’t manage to find a way to win on the road.
Next up, the Cats will travel to Starkville to take on a top-15 Mississippi State Bulldogs squad on Saturday night.
Here are three things to know from loss No. 3 for the Cats.
The Butler continues to serve it up
Lamont Butler has been Kentucky’s best player to this point of the season. He’s been consistent. He runs the offense. He can pass, defend, and has learned to score it.
Butler is exactly what you’re looking for in a veteran point guard. This game was no different, as Butler was by far Kentucky’s best player. He did it all when no one else bothered to show up.
I will say that Otega Oweh is in the conversation for Kentucky’s best/most dependable player. It’s truly arguable, but Oweh’s defense hasn’t quite been as lockdown as Butler’s, and Butler runs the show. This game was ugly, but Butler continues to be a bright spot.
Defense is beyond a significant issue
The Cats are an excellent offensive team. We’ve learned to this point in the season that they struggle with physicality. Defense has also been a major question mark, and there were no answers in this one.
It’s hard to be critical of this team because I think they’ve exceeded all of our expectations, but this is Kentucky, and it doesn’t stop for a first-year head coach or 12 new players. Defense is an issue and it’s an issue that’s persisted throughout Mark Pope’s coaching career.
The offense is fun. The roster build is tantalizing. But the defense is bad, and there’s no sign it’s getting better. The problem with this team is that when the shots aren’t falling, the Cats have absolutely no chance. It happened against Clemson. It happened again with Ohio State.
And here we are again.
Garrison gives big minutes — Robinson doesn’t
Brandon Garrison was probably Kentucky’s second-best player in this game. He provided so much, including offense, defense, rebounding, and simply a will to win.
The sophomore big man isn’t perfect. He makes some dumb plays and even dumber decisions, but there’s never a question about his hustle and fight. With Amari Williams struggling with foul trouble, Garrison provided a massive spark in a big role.
On the flip side, Jaxson Robinson was a no-show, and that’s starting to become a habit. There’s no denying Robinson’s talent, but the frequency in which he just doesn’t perform is quite concerning.
At times, Robinson forces shot after shot. Sometimes, he makes them. Sometimes, he doesn’t, but he’s aggressive and does a good job of creating space. At other times, Robinson just floats and does nothing.
In this one, Kentucky got the Robinson, who was there physically but not mentally. Pope might view him as a leader, but he might be the only one at this point.
