Things to watch for: Mississippi State Edition
By: DARRELL CARTWRIGHT
Note: KSR basketball editor Tyler Adkins is currently taking the Kentucky state bar examination. He will resume his popular feature with the critical road game Saturday against Arkansas.
Kentucky obtained a badly-needed "signature win" against the Missouri Tigers Saturday night in an overtime Rupp Arena thriller, 90-83. The victory placed them back "inside" the NCAA tournament bubble, per ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. The Cats host the woeful Mississippi State Bulldogs tonight, but can ill afford an off game or to peek ahead to a critical road contest versus Arkansas.
* Where is Wiltjer?
Mississippi State head coach Rick Ray suggested that Kyle Wiltjer's patience could be a problem for Mississippi State. UK fans are not known for their patience, and it has been almost a month since Wiltjer's last really good game, a 10-18, 26-point performance against Ole Miss. Although he scored 14 against Auburn and 18 against Tennessee, he did so on a combined 9-26 shooting. If Kentucky makes a run at the end of the season, it will have to be with Kyle Wiltjer contributing more than he has done the last few weeks.
* Keep the Sword Sheathed and the Steele Unsharpened
Let's not kid ourselves. Mississippi State has lost twelve consecutive games. They were defeated by 41 points--at home--by Vanderbilt in their most recent game, and they have not won a contest since January 12 against Georgia. But MSU's first three games in 2013 were all wins, and in those three victories, guard Craig Sword went 15-27 from the field, averaging 15.0 points per contest. Guard Jalen Steele scored 21 and 16 in two of the three wins as well. Making sure that the Sword stays sheathed and the Steele is unsharpened will help the Kentucky cause.
* The Kentucky Effect - A Rocking, Raucous Rupp Arena crowd
Anecdotally, the Rupp Arena crowd has been outstanding since Nerlens Noel was lost for the season and the Cats were drubbed in Knoxville. The fans may be sensing the team "needs" them more now than ever, and they have risen to the occasion. While a raucous and rocking crowd may not be required for the victory, it can't hurt. Moreover, continuing the Rupp Arena momentum may be important to build for the season home finale against top 5 team Florida on Senior Day. Finally, basketball recruit superstar Andrew Wiggins will be in the audience, and a rocking, raucous Rupp Arena could help persuade Mr. Wiggins to make Lexington his home for next season.
Will be back after the game to see how Kentucky fared on these key elements.
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