GAMEDAY: The Cats are Underdogs in College Station

by:Nick Roush•02/10/18•

@RoushKSR

Cats are Searching for Shots (and Wins)

To win basketball games you have to make shots.  Plain and simple.  It sounds easy, but it hasn't come easy for the Cats lately. “You gotta make some shots at some point,” John Calipari said yesterday. “You’re going to have to drop some shots. In the games we really played well, we made some shots. They’re all capable of that. I’ve got five guys in there that are capable shooters, more than capable shooters. But, we’ll see.” Entering College Station on a two-game skid, the Aggies' interior defense will not let Kentucky get easy offense near the rim.  That strategy has worked well for UK's previous opponents, and nobody is better at it than A&M.  If UK can't knock down a few jump shots, it could be a long night in College Station.

The Last Time Cal's Cats Played A&M

Texas A&M passed the injury bug to Kentucky when the Aggies traveled to Rupp Arena.  It was their first game with a full roster and UK's first without Quade Green.  Kentucky let a lead slip away in the final minute, but remained composed long enough to force A&M to make a play in the final seconds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kz7kMkA3IM Kentucky was cold from the outside (4-12 3FG), but still managed to shoot 55.8 percent from the field.  Replicating that kind of success is a tall task, but it might be required to beat a team that looks completely different than the one that came to Rupp last month.

Will Cal's Birthday Wish be Granted?

Today John Calipari turns 59 years old.  If Kentucky can pull off an upset win on the road, I have a feeling he'll celebrate on the flight home with an entire tray of Mrs. Cal's brownies.

Two Streaks on the Line

John Calipari has never lost three games in a row at Kentucky.  Earlier this season that streak was kept safe with a 13-point win vs. Miss. State.  If UK keeps that streak alive, they'll have to keep the three-point streak alive, something that almost didn't happen when UK went on the road last Saturday.

TV, Radio, Vegas

TV -- A late 8:15 tip-off on ESPN with Dave Flemming and Dan Dakich (sigh) on the call. Radio -- KSR Pregame Show on 630 WLAP at 5:30. Hear Leach and Pratt on the UK Sports Network, Sirius-1378and XM-191. Vegas -- Texas A&M -5

College Basketball on TV

Time Game Network
Noon Butler at #1 Villanoca Fox
Noon Ok. State at #19 West Virginia ESPN
Noon Florida at South Carolina CBS
2:00 #10 Kansas at Baylor CBS
2:00 #17 Oklahoma at Iowa State ESPN
2:00 #21 North Carolina at NC State ACCNE
2:00 Miss. State at Mizzou ESPN2
2:00 Texas at TCU ESPNU
2:30 #5 Xavier at Creighton Fox
3:30 #8 Auburn at Georgia SEC
4:00 #3 Purdue at #4 Michigan State ESPN
4:00 Florida State at Notre Dame ESPN2
6:00 Iowa at #14 Ohio State BTN
6:00 #15 Tennessee at Alabama SEC
6:15 Va. Tech at #2 Virginia ESPN
8:00 #7 Texas Tech at Kansas State ESPNU

Two Impressive Indiana Buzzer-Beaters

Greenwood High School in central Indiana executed this overtime play to perfection.  They would go on to win in double overtime. The best three points from Romeo Langford's 53-point night was this full-court heave. [mobile_ad]

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