Kentucky's defense was the huge story, causing Georgia to turn the ball over more times than they put it in the basket. The sense of urgency has picked up for Kentucky, and they need to keep it going to finish the season strong.
Murray On Fire
Jamal Murray has absolutely gone off in the last two games for Kentucky. Not just on offense, but his hustle on the defensive side has picked up after the Tennessee loss.
Murray has scored 59 points in the last two games for Kentucky. In those two games, he has hit 14-20 threes.
Murray was capable of this all along, he just had to get his shot right and not take shots at the wrong times. Basketball is a game of rhythm and Murray has found his.
Both Tyler Ulis and Murray have become an even stronger one-two punch for the Wildcats. One of the best back courts in the country just got better with the unstoppable stroke of Murray.
J.J. Frazier vs. Tyler Ulis
This match up was hyped long before conference play began because these are some of the SEC's most talented guards; both coming in below 5'10.
J.J. Frazier said he anticipated facing Ulis all season and knew the first four minutes of the game would be telling of how the game would pan out; the first four minutes didn't go too well for Frazier.
In fact, the whole game didn't go well at all for Frazier or the rest of the Bulldogs. He was 0-8 from the field and scored four points to go with four rebounds, one assist while fouling out.
Ulis finished with 14 points and eight assists on 6-11 shooting. Kentucky's point guard once again showed why he's one of the best in country on both sides of the ball.
Alex Poythress Injury
Alex Poythress missed his second straight game with a right knee injury and new information was released that some fans might not enjoy.
John Calipari said his senior will be out for about two weeks. With Kentucky's schedule hitting another tough patch, his absence will hurt their chances.
With their best post player out, Marcus Lee and Skal Labissiere will both need to play their best basketball possible. Both these players have been playing rough on offense, but they can fill the void Poythress left due to the unlimited talent they have.
The Case in the SEC Race
The SEC is insanely close this year and no team is close to being guaranteed a top five seed in the SEC Tournament as of right now.
LSU leads the way with a one-game lead over everyone before their game at South Carolina. Kentucky comes in at second .5 ahead of the Gamecocks.
Georgia comes in at 6-5 with their loss to Kentucky, putting them in 6th place in the SEC. The Bulldogs' remaining schedule is highlighted with a visit to the Gamecocks, other than that the rest of the games should be easy wins for this experienced Georgia team.
Kentucky can finish strong but missing Poythress will change the outcome of some games. They have to play games at South Carolina and Texas A&M most likely without their senior leader.
If the Wildcats can get out of those road games with at least one win, they are in good shape to win the SEC if they can knock of LSU in the last game of the season.
Player Statistics
Jamal Murray- Murray's takeover has been one of the most entertaining things to watch in Kentucky's two home games, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. He scored 24 points on 8-14 shooting.
Yante Maten- Kentucky had no answer for the big man early on as he scored eight points in the early going for Georgia. Kentucky made defensive adjustments but he still finished with 16 points and 11 boards.
Tyler Ulis- Ulis had a less productive day in the points category but made up for it with assists. He finished with 14 points and eight assists to give Kentucky's back court a boost.
Derek Willis- Willis showed toughness on the glass and threw down a vicious slam in the first half en route to 11 points and six rebounds on 4-8 shooting.
Upcoming Schedule
#22 Kentucky at South Carolina 2/13/16
Georgia at Mississippi State 2/13/16