Kentucky Reaches 2,000 Wins, Prepares To Open SEC Play

Now that Kentucky has completed their 69-year long run of becoming the first team in NCAA history to win 2,000 games, what’s next for the Wildcats?

After pummeling Drexel by double, 88-44, in their homely confines of Rupp Arena, Kentucky is hitting its stride at an ideal time three games before SEC conference play begins on Jan. 9.

The three teams Kentucky has to face before conference foe Georgia are: Long Beach State (6-5), Hartford (2-9), and Louisville (7-3). With the three opponents totaling a record of 15-17, Coach Calipari will look to get the kinks out and get his boys ready for the SEC.

Pushing the tempo and playing hard-nose defense, is what Calipari needs from his young-talented team for a successful run in the competitive SEC.  

The long 16-game stretch of conference games can be broken into two parts with a first and second half.

A team always wants to start hot in conference play to push the button and prepare themselves for the second half stretch.  

During the first eight games in the SEC, the Wildcats will try to position themselves at the top for what could be a difficult second-half run.

So let’s do a brisk break down of the first half of SEC play for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky’s first eight games are split with four at home and four on the road with the eight teams combining for an overall record of 48-26.

The SEC’s 12 team conference averages 7.5 wins per team, which favors the 12-win Wildcats because they had the toughest pre-season schedule.

The SEC is 3-7 against current top 25 teams and Kentucky contains two of the three wins.

So it easy to say that after examining the Wildcats and their SEC opponents in the first 12 games, that the Cats are favored to win the SEC after a five year drought.    

Kentucky open’s at home against one of the less physically gifted teams in the SEC with Georgia (5-4) who are yet to win a game on the road (0-2).

Georgia will look for SEC Player of the Week Trey Thompkins and guard Travis Leslie to carry the load for the Bulldogs.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs, the SEC’s Eastern Division poorest team, don’t contain enough fire power for the upbeat tempo of the Wildcats offensive onslaught.  

The Wildcats should jump out fast and early much like they did against Drexel and should have no problem taking care of the Bulldogs at home beating them by double-digits.

The Bulldog match-up will be a warm-up for the Wildcats first SEC road game against Florida.

Considered the second-best team in the SEC’s Eastern Division behind Kentucky, the Gators (8-2) won their first eight games, but are on a recent two-game skid.

Florida is currently undefeated at home (5-0) and has beaten their opponents by an average margin of 12 points per game.  

This will be the first SEC test for the Wildcats who go on the road in the hectic Gator environment.

If the Wildcats can win at the Stephen O’Connell Center and begin the Eastern Division 2-0, they could easily be 4-0 after playing against the two worst teams in the Western Division Auburn (5-6) and Arkansas (6-5)).

Their fifth game at South Carolina will be one of their toughest offensive match-ups playing against the Gamecocks who lead the SEC in steals (9.3/gm) and blocks (8.1/gm).

Kentucky’s young guards will have to take care of the ball against a team who has created a SEC best 210 turnovers in 11 games.

Kentucky’s following two games will be at home against teams that will challenge them in points.

Vanderbilt (7-3) is fifth in the SEC in scoring averaging 77.5 points per game and Ole Miss (10-1), who leads the SEC in scoring averaging 85.4 points per game.

If Kentucky can go undefeated (6-0) playing against Ole Miss, then expect one of the more exciting match ups in the SEC this year.

Mississippi can score with the best of them and don’t be surprised when both teams start lighting up the scoreboard in a fast-paced game.

Playing their third game in nine days will prove to be another SEC test for the Wildcats as they go on the road to play LSU (8-2).

Although LSU is 8-2, they haven’t played against the toughest competition.

Only three out of Tiger’s eight wins, have come against opponents with winning records; Indiana State (7-3), Western Kentucky (5-4), and SE Louisiana (7-3), so it is safe to say that LSU has not played against good competition.

Their top three scorers average over 15 points per game (Tasmin Mitchell 17.2, Bo Spencer, 15.9, Storm Warren 15.2) but other than that there’s no real threat with the next scorer averaging 4.5 points per game.

LSU doesn’t present any threat on defense and even though they have three great scorers, they won’t be able to keep up with the Wildcat’s offense.

The Kentucky Wildcats go 8-0 or maybe lose one game in that stretch due to being young and slipping up. They will need to be better with the ball, averaging over 16 turnovers per game, but Calipari always has his teams playing well in conference play and simply possessing too potent of an offense, will have Kentucky a top of the SEC.