The Kentucky Wildcats are starting to hit their stride, and they’ll look to continue that Tuesday in Athens when they face the Georgia Bulldogs.
Unfortunately, they may do so with several players sidelined, as the injury bug has plagued the Wildcats all season. The fear of injuries ruining the season reached its peak on Saturday when Ashton Hagans came up limping late in the game, and Immanuel Quickley needed x-rays on a minor injury on his non-shooting hand. Johnny Juzang is also out with an illness.
All things considered, the prognosis on these players looks promising. However, it is unclear whether either will participate on Tuesday and how big their roles may be. Quickley put up a career-high 23 points against Missouri in the SEC opener, and even his hand injury did not prevent him from staying above 95% from the free throw line for the season.
Hagans is obviously the heart and soul of this roster. If he misses any significant time, that changes the identity of the whole team and they will have to take some time to figure out who they are. That would be similar to when PJ Washington was sidelined at the end of last season.
Also, many have looked forward to Hagans’ potential matchup with Georgia star Anthony Edwards. Edwards very well may be the most talented player in college basketball. He leads the Bulldogs with 18.4 points per game, and he does so by spending much of the game with the ball in his hands. He takes nearly 25% more shots than anybody else on the Georgia roster, and watching him battle Hagans for 40 minutes would be appointment television, if Hagans is healthy.
Against the two other stars Kentucky has faced, Cassius Winston and Jordan Nwora, the Wildcats have held them in check and come out of each game with a victory. In order to win at Georgia on Tuesday, Kentucky needs to find a way, with or without Hagans, to contain Edwards.
None of the Bulldogs shoot exceptionally well from the outside (famous last words). However, they do battle in the paint. Their leading rebounder is Rayshaun Hammonds, who nearly averages a double-double with 14.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He is not a big time shot blocker, but he uses his size well and will need to have the full attention of Kentucky’s front court.
It is difficult to know who Georgia really is at this point. Their worst loss is to a strong Dayton team, and their best win is against a Memphis squad without their best player. The Bulldogs have had several close games against lesser competition, but have shown the potential to play well against legitimate top 25 teams.
The game will tip-off at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Grab your coffee, pray for Hagans, and get comfortable to watch the Cats battle the Dawgs on ESPN.
