Texas struggled to knock off UT Arlington 63-53 last night in their final tune-up before Friday’s top 10 battle at No. 1 Kentucky.
Kentucky dismantled UT Arlington 92-44 on November 25 in Rupp Arena.
After the 48-point beat down at the hands of the Wildcats. UT Arlington head coach Scott Cross said he thinks Kentucky can go undefeated in 2014-15.
Following last night’s 10-point loss to Texas, Cross changed his tune a bit. He stated after the game that he thinks Texas can play with Kentucky:
But UT still made a strong impression on the Mavericks, who last week suffered a 48-point loss to the same Kentucky team the Longhorns will visit on Friday. Mavericks coach Scott Cross is one of many who can’t wait to see how it will turn out.
“When I left Kentucky, I didn’t think anyone in the country could play with them,” Cross said. “But I think Texas can. … I think they have as good of a chance as anyone.”
But as Holmes pointed out, the Longhorns won’t be able to rely on its size advantage against the Wildcats. Kentucky is one of the few teams in college basketball with a bigger front line than the Longhorns.
“That’s why it’ll be fun,” Holmes said. “We haven’t played anyone like them, and they haven’t played anyone like us.”
Texas and Kentucky will tip at 7:00 p.m. ET Friday night in Rupp Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
