Basketball Free Picks: Kentucky Wildcats visit Georgia Bulldogs
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
Top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats brings an 11-game winning streak into Athens to meet Georgia Bulldogs, which has struggled to build any momentum in the Southeastern Conference partly because of a killer early schedule that has included Alabama, Vanderbilt and Florida.
The game looks very one-sided in Kentucky's favor; the Wildcats average 79.6 points, the Bulldogs 61.9; the Wildcats shoot 48.5 percent, the Bulldogs 39.8; the Wildcats allow 59.7 points, the Bulldogs allow 63.2. But this series, which Kentucky lead 113-25, has been closer than expected for many years. Georgia has beaten the Wildcats eight times over the last 10 years.
Thirteen of the last 18 games have been decided by 10 or fewer points, with two going into overtime. The two teams split a year ago.
- Kentucky Wildcats @ Georgia Bulldogs
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Georgia
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN3.com
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Wildcats listed as 12½-point favorites versus the Bulldogs.
Kentucky Wildcats (19-1): The Wildcats expect Anthony Davis to keep Georgia out of the middle. The freshman shot-blocking machine (4.7 per game) is an intimidating, shot-changing factor who has also scored in double figures in nine straight games. At 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, Davis is the only player in the SEC to average a double-double. Terrence Jones (11.9 points) has been in double figures for six straight games. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (13.2 points, 7.5 rebounds) is shooting 50 percent from the field. Kidd-Gilchrist has scored in double figures in three straight games after being held in single digits in the three previous starts. Doron Lamb (14 points) lit up the Bulldogs twice last season, going for 18 and 19 points, including five 3-pointers.
Georgia Bulldogs (10-9): The Bulldogs are led by freshman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who leads the team in scoring (14.7 points), minutes (31.6) and steals (1.8). He is coming off a career-high 25-point effort in the loss to Ole Miss, the first time in 13 years a Bulldog has scored that many as a freshman. Counting his two seasons at Tennessee State, Gerald Robinson enters the game with 1,684 career points, 663 at Georgia. That combined figure would rank fifth on Georgia's career scoring list, four points behind Dominique Wilkins (1980-82). Nemi Djurisic is averaging 8.4 points against SEC opponents, better than his 6.5 overall scoring average.
1. Kentucky has had 49 instances where its defense has held the opposition scoreless for a three-minute stretch.
2. Kentucky’s Darius Miller moved into 53rd on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,049 points.
3. Georgia has not beaten a No. 1-ranked team in 12 previous attempts.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Wildcats 73, Bulldogs 57.
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anthony davis - darius miller - dominique wilkins - doron lamb - georgia bulldogs - gerald robinson - kentavious caldwell-pope - kentucky wildcats - michael kidd-gilchrist - nemi djurisic