Kentucky's last meeting in Baton Rouge ended in a scare for the then undefeated Wildcats. This time, the 'Cats have a completely different reason to be afraid of this matchup.
The Danger of Ben Simmons
It's obvious Ben Simmons is able to do whatever he wants whenever he wants. When he gets into a zone, it's virtually impossible to stop him from putting up insane numbers.
The thing that makes this scary is, if Kentucky's interior defense isn't able to defend the monster that is Simmons. The freshmen handles the ball like a point guard and can shoot from anywhere on the floor. It's also worth mentioning that the kid is 6'9.
Kentucky's defense for that size is cut down to three players: Skal Labissiere, Marcus Lee or Alex Poythress. The Wildcats need one of these players to come through and hold Simmons to a respectable amount of points.
Labissiere has yet to prove himself on either end of the ball - he gets bullied in the paint due to his size. The talent level of Simmons will overpower the still learning Labissiere.
Lee is Kentucky's best interior defender; not so much on the perimeter. Lee has a tendency to give too much space when switched on a three-point shooter, this could lead to a lot of made jump shots from Simmons.
Poythress is easily the best decision for who should guard Simmons. The senior has seen a lot more basketball than Simmons and matches the freshmen punch for punch in the athleticism category. Poythress is also a great perimeter defender and tall enough to guard Simmons down low. The only question with this matchup is if "beast mode" Poythress shows up or not.
Kentucky's Offense
Stopping Simmons will be a big key to the game for the Wildcats, but remaining consistent on the other side of the ball is even more important.
Against Ole Miss their last time out, the Wildcats hit 7-of-25 from behind the three-point line. The 'Cats have to learn when to take a shot from deep, no matter how tempting it is with the shooters they have.
Poythress and Lee will have to contribute as well, or at least distract. LSU lost the talented big men they once had and Simmons can only guard one person. It would not be shocking to see Labissiere have an impactful game.
Shot selection is a big deal for the Wildcats while dealing with playing in an arena that will undoubtedly be rocking the entire game.
Players to Watch
Ben Simmons- If anyone else was on here for the Tigers it would be insane. The freshmen has the ability to go off for 50 points on any given night. If playing Kentucky gives Simmons any sort of motivation, a new monster could be created during this game.
Tyler Ulis- Ulis is playing some of the best basketball of his career, coming off of a 20 point, 10 assist game. The 5'9 point guard will be harassing the ball handler trying to get the ball to Simmons and his denial of passes will play a large role in how this game pans out.