Another battle against a ranked foe lies ahead for Kentucky on Saturday, as the nation’s sixth-ranked team will travel to Starkville, Miss., to play No. 14 Mississippi State.
Playing away from Rupp Arena has not been the easiest task for the Wildcats (12-3, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) so far this season. Coach Mark Pope’s team is coming off an 82-69 loss at Georgia on Tuesday.
While Kentucky scored impressive wins over Duke and Gonzaga on neutral courts, the team also has losses against Ohio State in New York and on the road at Clemson.
Opponents have held double-digit first-half leads in four of those five neutral-court or road games, and Kentucky allowed Georgia to grab 13 offensive rebounds. That was right after the Wildcats allowed Florida to get 15 in their game last Saturday.
According to TeamRankings.com, Kentucky allows opponents to get 9.3 offensive boards per game, ranking 242nd among Division I teams.
That’s an issue Mississippi State (14-1, 2-0) may be able to take advantage of on Saturday. The Bulldogs are No. 41 nationally on the offensive glass, getting 13.3 a game, and TeamRankings.com has them tied for second in DI in averaging 8.7 extra scoring chances per game.
Pope told reporters the issue is “a sign of distraction” for his team. It’s something that has been the topic of conversation in the locker room and coaches’ office.
“Sometimes when you start on a project, you take 10 steps backwards before you make progress, and it feels like that’s what we’ve done,” Pope said. “It’s almost like the more we talk about it, the more we drill it, the more of a challenge it is.”
The Wildcats have been able to overcome the rebounding concerns thanks to their offense. They rank third nationally at 88.8 points per game. Otega Oweh leads Kentucky, scoring 15.7 ppg. He’s one of six to average 9.9 or more a night.
Mississippi State has won eight straight, with victories over Pitt and Memphis, both of whom were ranked at the time, coming during the streak.
The Bulldogs are also a balanced team, with seven players scoring seven or more points per night and eight players getting 15 or more minutes per game. Josh Hubbard leads the team by scoring 17.1 points per game. He also shoots 8.2 3-pointers per game and makes 38.2 percent from the arc.
Vanderbilt was able to hold the sophomore guard to just nine points on Tuesday. However, the Bulldogs still pulled out a 76-64 road win thanks to a 19-point performance from RJ Melendez.
“We don’t have as many guys that are averaging double figures,” coach Chris Jans told reporters Thursday, “but I think we do have enough game experience to know that we definitely have people capable of leading us in scoring on different nights or stepping up and making a big shot when it’s really, really needed over the course of the game.”
Wins have been rare for the Bulldogs against Kentucky, with just one coming in the last 20 games between the teams. Aside from a conference tournament win in 2021, Mississippi State has not beaten the Wildcats since a 66-57 win in Lexington, Ky., on Feb. 3, 2009. The last win at home came on Jan. 15, 2008.
–Field Level Media
