Basketball Time in the Bluegrass has HUGE Implications Saturday

KEYS TO KENTUCKY VICTORY-
With the Cats facing another must-win at Rupp Arena, Kentucky prepares to face off with the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols are equally in need for a win and therefore should be close to the end.

As the game holds major implications for the nearing Selection Sunday(3 weeks away), here is what Kentucky must do to get the victory…

1) Set Screens- It was just two months ago that Jodie Meeks ripped the Tennessee Volunteers for a Kentucky record 54 points. It is no secret that the Vols do not want to be embarrassed again by Meeks and will be covering him more intensly than he has seen all season. It is important to get the junior from Georgia going early and often and therefore the Cats must set screens to open up shots. With ball screens, Kentucky should be able to find ways to get the ball into Jodie Meeks’ hands.

2) Patterson must come back- Over a week ago, Patrick Patterson landed wrong coming down with a rebound against the Gators and has been MIA ever since. The rehab process is slow and as of Thursday, Coach Billy Gillispie was unsure if Patterson would be ready to go Saturday. If P-squared can come back, he should be the difference maker in the game. Patterson is averaging nearly 2 blocks, 9 rebounds, and 17.8 points per game. Without the sophomore standout, the Wildcats went 1-1…they need him Saturday if they want to win.

3) If you have a shot…take it!- I keep going back to the first half of the Florida game two weeks ago. The Cats tossed around the ball and it wound up in point guard Michael Porter’s hands at the top of the key. Collectively the fans urged him to shoot the open three, but he hesitated, passed it off and eventually led to a turnover. Kentucky so heavily relies on Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks, no other player seems to want to take a shot. It will be a given that the Tennessee defense will go all out to stop Jodie Meeks and so someone else must take some shots. The key to the game is for the players that aren’t named Patterson and Meeks to take initiative to shoot the ball.

-Prediction-

Kentucky 68

Tennessee 80

- Tennessee is coming off an embarrassing double digit loss to Ole Miss. The last time the Cats faced off with Tennessee in Knoxville, the Vols were embarrassed. With a lot to prove, I think it will be Bruce Pearl's team that will want it more and come out with the victory.