Kentucky Basketball has been nothing short of resilient in SEC play this season. After a shaky start with losses on the road at Alabama and at home to Missouri, the Wildcats have rattled off three straight SEC wins to climb back onto the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Up next is a home date with the Texas Longhorns set for Wednesday night at Rupp Arena. Game time is 7:00 PM ET on the SEC Network.
The Wildcats’ recent winning streak began with a blowout victory over Mississippi State at Rupp Arena. Kentucky trailed by double digits early but turned the game around with suffocating defense and improved ball movement, despite the loss of point guard Jaland Lowe in the opening minutes.
Then came an all-time road win at LSU, where Kentucky erased an 18-point deficit to score a 75-74 victory on a last-second buzzer-beater from Malachi Moreno in Christian Laettner fashion. That was also the first game after the announcement that Lowe would miss the season due to shoulder surgery after his latest setback came during the Mississippi State game.
The next game would see the Cats go down to Knoxville and upset the No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers. After trailing by 17 points in the first half, Kentucky slowly chipped away and finally took the lead in the final minute when Collin Chandler’s steal led to an assist to Otega Oweh, who drew a foul and converted the basket, which helped the Cats eventually come away with an 80-78 victory.
Kentucky now stands 12-6 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, tied for third in the conference.
Texas enters this matchup under new head coach Sean Miller at 11-7 overall and 2-3 in SEC play. Their season started with a 75-60 loss at Duke, followed by a close defeat at Arizona State in the Maui Invitational.
However, Texas has also had key wins, including a 102-97 victory over NC State and a road upset of an Alabama team that thrashed this very Kentucky team.
Texas’ most recent SEC loss came in a narrow home loss against rival Texas A&M, 74-70, after nearly rallying from a double-digit second-half deficit.
Kentucky and Texas met last season in Austin, where the Wildcats fell 82-78 thanks to a late-game collapse. With this being the only meeting of the season between the two teams, both squads have plenty on the line as they look to climb the SEC standings and bolster their postseason resumes.
What to Watch For
Stopping Tramon Mark: Texas senior guard Tramon Mark has been a consistent scorer in SEC play, averaging 18.4 points per game. He has a streak of clutch performances, including key shots in crunch time to take down Alabama and Vanderbilt. He also scored a season-best 26 points last season in Texas’ win over Kentucky, as well as 23 points in Rupp Arena against the Cats as a member of Arkansas during the 2023-24 season. Limiting his touches and forcing other players to create is essential for Kentucky.
3-Point Defense: Texas relies heavily on perimeter shooting, averaging 22.8 3-point attempts per game and making 34.5% of them. Four players account for the majority of attempts: Mark, Jordan Pope, Simeon Wilcher, and Camden Heide. Kentucky, which has struggled to defend against 3-point-heavy teams like Louisville and Alabama, must contest every shot and prevent Texas from getting into a rhythm from deep.
Offensive Execution: Kentucky has consistently fallen behind early in SEC games, largely because of its poor offense. While they have eventually gotten things going, this issue cannot continue if the Wildcats are going to win enough SEC games to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s time for Mark Pope to come up with a game plan that leads to his team executing for 40 minutes.
Texas Players to Know
- Dailyn Swain (6-7, Jr., Forward): Swain is averaging 15.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.7 steals while shooting 55.7% from the field and 26.2% from deep on 2.3 attempts per game.
- Matas Vokietaitis (7-0, So., Center): Averaging 15.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 65.1% FG. Big test for Malachi Moreno.
- Tramon Mark (6-5, Sr., Guard): Mark is averaging 13.4 PPG for the season while shooting 48.6% from the field, 33.3% from 3. However, he’s scoring 18.4 PPG in SEC play and has done well in the past against the Cats.
- Jordan Pope (6-2, Sr., Guard): 13.2 PPG, 2.4 APG, 2.1 RPG, shooting 37.7% from 3 on 6.8 attempts per game.
- Simeon Wilcher (6-4, Jr., Guard): 8.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, shooting 35.9% from 3. Capable secondary scorer.
- Camden Heide (6-7, Jr., Forward): 6.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 53.4% FG, 48.1% from 3. A stretch 4 who is key to the Longhorns’ offensive spacing.
Kentucky Basketball vs. Texas Longhorns
- Time: 7:00 PM ET on January 21
- Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky
- TV Channel: SEC Network
- Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
- Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
- Replay: WatchESPN and the ESPN network (check local listings)
- Rosters: UK | UT
- Stats to Know: UK | UT
- KenPom: UK | UT
- Team Sheet: UK | UT
Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for this game, so check back on Tuesday for those. The analytics all give Kentucky the edge. ESPN is most confident in the Cats, giving them a 76.4% chance to win. KenPom (71%), EvanMiya (69.8%), and BartTorvik (66%) also favor the Wildcats.
Predictions: Haslametrics picks Kentucky to win 80-73. EvanMiya (81-75), and KenPom (82-76) all have the Cats winning by six points. BartTorvik has the Cats narrowly escaping with an 82-77 win.
Kentucky has momentum and home-court advantage, but Texas boasts multiple scorers and a capable perimeter attack. If the Wildcats start fast, contain Tramon Mark, and shut down the main perimeter threats, they can dominate defensively and extend their SEC win streak. I’m going with a 78-72 victory, Kentucky!
How do you see this one playing out? Let us know in the comments!
Go Cats!!
