Things looked bleak for Kentucky Basketball in the first five minutes against Mississippi State, but after trailing by as many as 12 points, they rolled to a 24-point victory.
Following a much-needed win for Kentucky, the focus shifts to a midweek night game in Baton Rouge, taking on the LSU Tigers on Wednesday. While the Tigers are 0-3 in SEC play, there is no such thing as an easy road game in the SEC, and Kentucky has yet to win a true road game this season.
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The Wildcats are losers of two straight at Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and are looking for a win to break that streak and get back to .500.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Force Tigers to Shoot 3s
LSU is a team that wants to get downhill and attack the rim, and they are successful in doing that. Between the 2-point range and the free-throw line, the Tigers score more than 75% of their points.
Perhaps the biggest reason for this is LSU’s lack of shooting, having just one player to play consistent minutes and shoot better than 30% from deep, guard Max Mackinnon.
Kentucky should be able to play off most of LSU’s players, giving them a cushion for when they attack the rim. That said, the ball screen defense and communication must be good.
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Stay Disciplined
As stated previously, LSU likes to get downhill, which leads to lots of fouls. Down two of their best players in Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe — the latter being out for the season — Kentucky cannot afford to get in trouble. They need to play sound defense and not bail LSU out.
Another area where Kentucky needs to stay disciplined is taking care of the ball. LSU does not force many turnovers, and the Wildcats cannot afford to beat themselves.
Injuries
On Monday, it was announced that Lowe would undergo surgery to repair his shoulder after dislocating it for a third time and would miss the remainder of the season. In addition, Jayden Quaintance has been dealing with knee swelling since returning from an ACL tear in December.
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“We did some more testing,” Pope said on Monday of JQ. “That’s an ongoing thing, too, that we’re going to probably figure out more about in the next couple of days as we kind of do consults.”
Without Lowe and likely without Quaintance, other players are going to have to step up.
Malachi Moreno is coming off his best game in a Kentucky uniform and is primed to keep his confidence and level of play up. Jasper Johnson, who grades well analytically for Kentucky’s offense, will get more run in Lowe’s absence.
Guys like Collin Chandler and Brandon Garrison, who have struggled of late, need to pick up their play if Kentucky is going to stay above water in SEC play and off of the NCAA Tournament bubble, which they are firmly on heading into this week’s road games at LSU and Tennessee.
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Players to watch
G Dedan Thomas 6-1, 178 lbs
G Max Mackinnon 6-6, 195 lbs
F Marquel Sutton 6-8, 225 lbs
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8.8 RPG (T-41st nationally)
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Time: 7:00 PM ET on January 14th, 2026
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Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Announcers: Matt Schumacker, Richard Hendrix
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Replay: WatchESPN and the ESPN network (check local listings)
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Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds, so check back later for those. As far as the metrics go, they’re split. ESPN (57.5%) and EvanMiya (56.6%) are in favor of the Wildcats, while KenPom (47%) and BartTorvik (42%) have them set to lose.
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Predictions: In relation to the winning percentages, the score predictions are also split, all by one possession. EvanMiya (78-76) and Haslametrics (76-74) side with Kentucky by a bucket. BartTorvik (77-75) and KenPom (77-76) have them losing by a basket or less. I’m going with an 84-77 victory, Kentucky!
