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This is definitely one of the most heated SEC tournaments that I can remember. After defeating Tennessee (didn’t you just love it? And yes, I still hate them.), we now face a Mississippi State team that definitely has revenge on their mind.
Our last meeting resulted in an overtime win, thousands of phone calls to Boogie, water bottles being thrown and a Mississippi State fan starting a rumor that Cousins assaulted someone while leaving the court (remember that video?.. It actually looked like Paterson walking off the floor and he didn’t touch anyone).
Remember when Demarcus Cousins Said "Call Me "
Do we really want to win today?
Of course we want to win!! We’re Kentucky! We always want to win. There is however, something very familiar about this entire situation.
Remember when the Untouchables played for the SEC Tournament Championship and lost to…… you guessed it, Mississippi State? When it was all over, Rick Pitino actually said he was glad UK lost because it made them refocus before the NCAA Tournament.
So would you be OK with losing the SEC tournament if it meant we had a better shot at winning the National Championship?
Here are the four factors of winning....
We all know the Mississippi State player that will give us the most trouble. That's right, "Praying Mantis Varnado". OK, his name is Jarvis, but his physique reminds me of a praying mantis. I just wonder if Big Cuz will torture him by pulling off his legs (do remember kids doing that?).
Varnado is a great player and is the all-time blocked shots leader in the SEC. He fouled out late in the second half when we played in Starkvile and we'll need Cousins to go at him again on Sunday.
What's interesting is that even though Varnado is a one man wrecking crew when it comes to blocking shots; Kentucky actually ties Mississippi State with 117 block in conference play. Mississippi State has 253 ovrall vs. UK's 238.
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Here's how both teams compare...
| Total Games | Miss 33 | UK 33 | Miss-SEC 16 | UK-SEC 16 |
| Wins | 23 | 31 | 9 | 14 |
| Losses | 10 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Pct | 0.697 | 0.939 | 0.562 | 0.875 |
| Field Goals Made | 822 | 924 | 388 | 428 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 1884 | 1925 | 948 | 939 |
| Field Goal Percentage | 0.436 | 0.48 | 0.409 | 0.456 |
| Free Throws Made | 449 | 572 | 222 | 283 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 658 | 840 | 325 | 417 |
| Free Throw Percentage | 0.682 | 0.681 | 0.683 | 0.679 |
| 3pt Field Goals Made | 300 | 199 | 136 | 91 |
| 3pt Field Goals Attempted | 833 | 579 | 428 | 300 |
| 3pt Field Goal Percentage | 0.36 | 0.344 | 0.318 | 0.303 |
| Points | 2393 | 2619 | 1134 | 1230 |
| Points Per Game | 72.5 | 79.4 | 70.9 | 76.9 |
| Rebounds | 1296 | 1370 | 607 | 659 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 39.3 | 41.5 | 37.9 | 41.2 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 357 | 477 | 186 | 230 |
| Offensive Rebounds Per Game | 10.8 | 14.5 | 11.6 | 14.4 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 939 | 893 | 421 | 429 |
| Defensive Rebounds Per Game | 28.5 | 27.1 | 26.3 | 26.8 |
| Assists | 422 | 484 | 205 | 203 |
| Assists Per Game | 12.8 | 14.7 | 12.8 | 12.7 |
| Steals | 183 | 236 | 94 | 115 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.5 | 7.2 | 5.9 | 7.2 |
| Turnovers | 424 | 484 | 199 | 223 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 12.8 | 14.7 | 12.4 | 13.9 |
| Blocks | 253 | 238 | 117 | 117 |
| Blocks Per Game | 7.7 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| Fouls | 467 | 538 | 241 | 274 |
| Fouls Per Game | 14.2 | 16.3 | 15.1 | 17.1 |
| Disqualifications | 6 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
So How Do We Win Today?
It's pretty simple, we just play like we did against TN (I wish it was that easy). I don't think there's anyone in the country that can play with us when we're aggressive on defense and we're hitting from the outside. Here's some things to look for from the new "fab four"
Big Cuz - Keep being "The Beast"! It had been a few games since his last double-double performance and it was nice to see Big Cuz pull one out today. in previous games, he was letting his emotions get the best of him. It was affecting his play and his relationship with his coach.
He somehow managed to keep his composure today. Even after UT took a cheap shot at his midsection. Yeah, he had his moments, but I think the "old Cousins" would have laid someone out for this one....
Bledsoe - When you have open shots..shoot the ball! He did a great job of taking his shots against Tennessee. I think I like "Bledsoe the outside shooter" better than the "Bledsoe the slasher".
Wall - In my opinion, Wall has really stepped up as a leader over the last several games. We continue to find a way to start the game flat and Wall was right there to fill the gap.
Patterson - Just keep being the reliable, clutch player we all love (play like Tarzan, Not Jane
). We're virtually unstoppable when everyone is hitting from the outside, but the drawback is Patterson loses his touches. Against Tennessee Patterson had 4pts and was 100% from the floor. He only attempted two shots the entire game.It just hit me that I referred to these guys as the "fab four". So now I have to ask..
Who's Ringo, Who's Paul, Who's John and Who's George?
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Bleacher Report writer says UK should win SEC baseball crown...
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