GAMEDAY: High Stakes for Kentucky Road Trip to Mississippi State

For the second straight week, it’s a mid-week battle of the bubble for the Kentucky basketball team. Things did not go well for the Wildcats the last time around, falling to Arkansas at Rupp Arena. This week Kentucky is on the wrong side of the bubble, traveling to Starkville with the hopes of knocking off another bubble team, Mississippi State. Tip-off at The Hump is set for 8:30 pm on the SEC Network.

The Bulldogs are led by first-year coach Chris Jans, formerly the head coach at New Mexico State. Fresh off an upset of Arkansas, Mississippi State is 17-8, 5-7 in SEC play. Former Western Kentucky Hilltopper Tolu Smith is taking this team places. The 6-foot-10 forward from Hawaii leads the SEC in field goal percentage (57.4%) and is third in rebounding (8.3 per game) while scoring 14.6 points per game.

Smith is exactly the kind of player that has given Oscar Tshiebwe fits all season long. Not only does he have enough length to score over Oscar, Smith plays defense with physicality, a style that has rattled Tshiebwe in the paint. The Kentucky center seemed to knock off the rust with a 20-point, 14-rebound performance vs. Georgia. He’ll need to keep it up tonight to give the Cats a chance to win as 3-point underdogs on the road.

Will Kentucky be Short-Handed?

CJ Fredrick (rib) and Sahvir Wheeler (ankle) each missed Saturday’s game at Georgia. In their absence, Antonio Reeves was the only player to provide any significant scoring in the backcourt. Wheeler and Fredrick did not practice on Monday, leaving uncertainty surrounding their availability for tonight’s game.

How to Watch Kentucky vs. Mississippi State

Great news folks. Jimmy Dykes WILL NOT be on the call for tonight’s game. Can you believe it? Me neither.

• Date: 8:30 EST, Wednesday, Feb. 15
• Location: Humphrey Coliseum (Starkville, MS)
• TV Channel: SEC Network (Roy Philpott, Mark Wise)
• Stream: WatchESPN, ESPN+
• Home Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens, UK Sports Network (630 WLAP, 840 WHAS)
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 137 or 190, SXM App 961

The KSR crew will get you ready for the matchup with the KSR Pregame Show, which airs LIVE from KSBar and Grille at 6:00 p.m. EST on 630 WLAP, 840 WHAS, or iHeart Radio.

One Stat Kentucky Needs to Improve

Of all the statistics that are costing Kentucky a chance to win basketball games, this one might be the most important… and they have no control over it. Kentucky has one of the worst free throw defenses in America. Opponents are shooting 81.2% from the line against the Cats, ranking UK No. 352 out of 363 teams. If it feels like opponents can’t miss against Kentucky, it’s partially true.

Chin Coleman Previews the Matchup with Mississippi State

Kentucky Football Cracks Preseason Top 25

The first noteworthy football ranking of the offseason is here. Bill Connelly has crunched the numbers and SP+ has Mark Stoops’ football team at No. 24 overall with the nation’s sixth-ranked defense. SP+ is a forward-thinking metric, which allows you to forecast early lines. Even though Kentucky’s schedule is daunting, particularly on the back end, the Cats are expected to be favorites in eight of 12 games this fall.

The Message Board is Popping on KSR+

We are now two days into a whole new world with KSR+. It’s been an absolute delight. We’re chopping it up on KSBoard, from conversations inside the huddle to breakup stories and Full Swing on Netflix. Join the fun now until Aug. 31 for only $10. Here’s a small sample of what the front page of the site has to offer.

Matt Jones Returns to the KSR Airwaves

As Ryan Lemond so lovingly calls him, KSR’s Big Toe is back in action. Matt Jones spent a long weekend in Mexico City and now he has some stories to tell on Kentucky Sports Radio. Tune in for all of the entertaining audio beginning at 10 am EST.