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I would like to thank Darrell for filling in for me before last game, I really appreciate it.
Kentucky heads down to Bud Walton Arena today to take on Arkansas (17-11, 8-7 SEC) in a game that will be a fight from the start. Arkansas has yet to lose at home in SEC play and don’t let their record fool you, they will be very tough to beat on the road. Kentucky, however, is playing very well right now and are seemingly realizing they are in a fight for their NCAA tournament lives every game. With that, let’s get to the things to watch for:
*Goodwin’s game
Goodwin has played well the past few games, but make no mistake, this game is huge for him. He is from Arkansas and had to pick the Wildcats when everyone wanted to see him in red. He will likely be boo’d heavily and will feel an enormous amount of pressure from the tip. He will also likely guard BJ Young, Arkansas’ leading scorer. Suffice to say, Goodwin’s play will be a huge factor in how this game plays out. Goodwin just needs to play solid and not revert to “bad Archie,” if he does that then the Cats should be able to win. I am looking for 10+ points and less than 4 turnovers for Goodwin while holding Young to only 12 or fewer points.
*Wiltjer’s return
Kyle Wiltjer needs to have a good game today. He has only scored 13 total points the last 3 games and only 6 in the previous two. His confidence has seemed to disappear and he is struggling even to make the open looks. He needs to have a good shooting night to get him back into the rhythm of the game. We saw a rut from Wiltjer early in the season and it just took one game to get him out of it, hopefully tonight is the game that gets him out of the second slump. He needs to get 12+ points and make at least 2 threes.
*Feast on the glass
Kentucky has been doing a great job lately in holding teams to not getting second chance looks and they need to continue that trend if they want to win in Arkansas. If UK can keep the Hogs off the glass then they should be able to play well enough on offense to get the win. If Arkansas gets 12+ offensive rebounds then even if the defense is great they will get enough shots to keep it close. The Cats need to hold Arkansas to less than 12 offensive rebounds and out-rebound them by five or more.
That’s all for today. As always, Go Big Blue.
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