Kentucky Basketball: Potential Trap Games for Wildcats in SEC Play

There is really no way to sugarcoat this—the rest of the SEC outside of Kentucky is terrible at basketball so far this season. 

Even the Florida Gators are off to a disappointing 7-5 start with losses to Miami and Florida State and look far from the presumed competitor to the Wildcats that many assumed they would be this season.

It is easy to just say Kentucky is going to finish undefeated and roll into the NCAA tournament as the overall No. 1 seed. After all, John Calipari has more talent on his bench than the vast majority of teams do in their starting lineups. Double-digit wins over UCLA, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas and a win at Louisville are certainly proof of Kentucky’s power.

However, it is unrealistic to expect the Wildcats to simply roll over everyone in their conference. There are bound to be some trap games that take Kentucky by surprise before the league tournament begins.

Here is a look at a few of those.

Jan. 10 at Texas A&M

James Crisp/Associated Press

Texas A&M lost three games already, but there is nothing to be ashamed of with defeats to Dayton, Baylor or Kansas State. Granted, the Aggies are probably not nearly strong enough to take out the Wildcats this season if they couldn’t handle those opponents, but this is Kentucky’s first road conference game.

There is something to be said for league games on the road, and the crowd in every venue will have some extra juice when the Wildcats come to town.

The Aggies feature a solid pair in Jalen Jones and Danuel House that will at least challenge the lengthy and athletic Kentucky defense throughout a 40-minute game.

Jan. 17 at Alabama

James Crisp/Associated Press

Alabama is the rare team that was actually more impressive in a loss than in victory earlier this season.

The Crimson Tide walked into Wichita State on Dec. 16 and gave the Shockers everything they could handle but ultimately fell short in heartbreaking fashion, 53-52. Alabama does count a narrow victory over UCLA to its nonconference resume, but Kentucky beat that same Bruins team in laughable fashion. 

Levi Randolph and the Crimson Tide may not upset the Wildcats, but if the same Alabama team that walked into Wichita State and lost by one faces Kentucky, it could at least be a close game.

Jan. 20 vs. Vanderbilt

David Tulis/Associated Press

Vanderbilt is not going to beat Kentucky in all likelihood, but the Commodores are on this list for one reason—big man Damian Jones.

Jones could very well lace it up in the NBA one day, and he is one of the rare players in the rest of the SEC who is actually big enough and talented enough to at least compete with the Wildcats down low. Of course, many said the same thing about Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell, but Kentucky held Harrell to nine points and eight rebounds.

That is not a Harrell-like day.

The 6’10” Jones has scored in double figures in every single game but one and topped 20 points four different times. He is a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor and could challenge Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl-Anthony Towns, Marcus Lee, Dakari Johnson and Trey Lyles down low. 

That is more than most teams can say.

Feb. 10 at LSU

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Not many SEC teams outside of Kentucky can point to a marquee nonconference victory, but LSU certainly can.

The Tigers went into West Virginia and knocked off the Mountaineers on Dec. 4 in dramatic fashion. In fact, LSU beat then-No. 16 West Virginia 74-73 when Josh Gray hit a go-ahead layup with less than eight seconds remaining. It was the type of nonconference game that the SEC needed to win more of this season to garner more respect across the nation.

What makes LSU dangerous is its balanced scoring attack. Five different players average double-digit points per game, led by Jarell Martin’s 17.5 and Jordan Mickey’s 15.6.

The Martin and Mickey combination is the type of duo that could at least neutralize Kentucky’s big men. Between the two of them, Martin and Mickey are averaging 18.9 rebounds per game and will give LSU a chance on the boards against Cauley-Stein and the Wildcats.

That could be enough to at least put a scare in the Wildcats.

Feb. 28 vs. Arkansas

Gareth Patterson/Associated Press

This game is in Lexington, but Arkansas knocked off Kentucky last season in a game that many of the Wildcats veterans like the Harrison twins and Cauley-Stein likely remember.

Arkansas did lose at Clemson and at Iowa State, but it won all its other nonconference games. From a talent perspective, the Razorbacks may feature the best team in the league outside of Kentucky and Florida, which makes them at least a threat.

Bobby Portis is an elite forward who brings the size at 6’11” and the athleticism to battle with Kentucky’s bigs. Portis is averaging 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds a night and has double-doubles in each of his last two games. Throw in Michael Qualls and Rashad Madden, and Arkansas has three formidable options on the offensive side. 

The Razorbacks have NCAA tournament aspirations this season. A win over Kentucky would be monumental to their postseason hopes.

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