By: Tyler Adkins
First off, I want to wish everyone on Kentucky Sports Report and all members of the Big Blue Nation a Merry Christmas. UK looks to rebound on Saturday against a gritty Belmont team that, up until the last few games, looked like a very difficult opponent. Coming off of the tough loss to North Carolina, there has been plenty of angst in BBN but hopefully the Cats will show improvement in a win at Rupp.
With that, let’s get to the things to watch for:
*Punching first. Punching often
Belmont comes into Rupp having lost 3 of their last 4 games by at least 13 points. They have looked completely different than they did when they beat UNC. Having said that, UK needs to come out and crush any hope they have of pulling off a big upset on the road. I expect attendance to not be great, or loud, considering it is the game before Christmas but that is all the more reason to get the crowd loud from the get go. Quite simply, this team needs to come out with a killer instinct from the tip and put Belmont away early.
*Shut them down
UK has the size and athleticism to shut down Belmont in all scoring areas. UK should be able to turn the game with defense and get Belmont out of their rhythm early. If UK struggles to guard, Belmont can fill it up and will make a game of it. I want to see effort and an edge on defense from this team. But most importantly, I would love to see them not complain over every foul that is called. It shows weakness.
*Free throws
I said I would put this every game and I am a man of my word. UK has to continue to improve on their free throw shooting. UK has lost three games this year by a total of 14 points and in those games UK missed a combined 41 free throws. The stat is mind-boggling and hopefully one that improves over the year.
That is all for today and as always go big blue.
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