After taking a small step forward with their first SEC win, the Kentucky Wildcats are about to enter a difficult three-game stretch. On Saturday, the Cats will travel to Alabama to face off against the No. 7 Crimson Tide at 1pm ET. Next Tuesday they get a reprieve with a 7-7 South Carolina team on the lap. Heading to Knoxville on Saturday to face the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers. In the coming days we will have a lot to say about each opponent and matchup, but what does the computer he model predict?
First, look at where the cat is standing. Kentucky started the season No. 1 on the KenPom Rating, but has since fallen to No. 16. Currently, Cats is ranked 35th in another rating system, BartTorvik, and he is 36th in the NCAA’s ranking system, the NET Rankings. Sorting tool.
Let’s see what KenPom and BartTorvik have to say about the next three games.
alabama crimson tide
Saturday, January 7, 1:00 PM ET, Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL, ESPN
Alabama’s only losses this season are against UConn and Gonzaga, teams currently in the top 10 of the AP voting. The Crimson Tide was then No. 20 Huskies 82-67 at the Phil Knight Invitational on November 25th and then No. 18 Bulldogs 100- at the CM Newton Classic in Birmingham on December 17th. 90.
The Crimson Tide finished second in the SEC with 83.3 points per game. Like most Nate Oates teams, this team loves threes. Alabama ranks among the top 10 nations in both 3-point attempts per game (10.0) and 3-point attempts (28.7). However, unlike most Nate Oates teams, this one is pretty good on the other side of the ball, with KenPom ranking 12th in defensive efficiency.freshman Brandon Miller are their star, leading the SEC with 19.1 points per game. Containing him is a priority for Kentucky. in particular, Jacob Toppin.
Kentucky made progress against LSU, but it takes another level of effort and consistency to beat a top-10 ranked Alabama team on the road. Plus, his last five minutes on Tuesday night didn’t make me feel good about this team’s ability to close the game if it got to a close game. That said, a win would definitely be huge for the resume and morale.
Kempom: Alabama 78, Kentucky 72 (30% winrate)
Tolvik: Alabama 79, Kentucky 70 (21% winrate)
south carolina gamecocks
Tuesday, January 10, 7:00 PM ET, Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY), ESPN/ESPN2
Tuesday night’s game against South Carolina could be exactly what doctors ordered after Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa. The Gamecocks are 7-7 in his first year as head coach at Lamont Paris. On Tuesday, they lost the SEC opener, losing 84-79 to Vanderbilt in overtime in Nashville. South Carolina’s most impressive victory of the season came against Clemson on November 11th. Since then, in the KenPom Top 150, the only team he has beaten by the Gamecocks is Western Kentucky (65-58).
five-star freshman GG Jackson He leads the Gamecocks with 16.9 points per game on 41.9% shooting. He’s making 33.8% of his 3-pointers, averaging 1.8 and 5.3 attempts per game. He hopes to see his success in the rapping arena, but it’s not enough for the Gamecocks to pull off an upset.
Kempom: Kentucky 74, South Carolina 56 (94% win rate)
Tolvik: Kentucky 73, South Carolina 55 (96% win rate)
tennessee volunteer
Saturday, January 14, 12:00 PM ET, Thompson Bowling Arena, Knoxville, TN, ESPN
Tennessee is ranked 8th and 9th in the polls, and computer models love the Vols even more. NET, KenPom, and BartTorvik all put Tennessee in second place behind her. The Vols rank him #1 in defensive efficiency in both KenPom and BartTorvik, the best offensive rebounding team in the country, pulling down an average of 12.6 per game. They limit teams to an average of 53.2 points per game. It ranks third in the country while earning an average of 74.7.
Tennessee’s loss to Colorado in Nashville on November 13th brought some doubts to the Vols, but since then the Vols have looked legitimate, beating the No. 3 Kansas by 14 in Battle 4 Atlantis to win basketball. Defeated No. 13 Maryland at the HOF Invitational. His only other loss was in Tucson on December 17, when he lost to No. 9 Arizona.
Well, tough games in Kentucky usually don’t play well.
Kempom: Tennessee 70, Kentucky 60 (win rate 19%)
Tolvik: Tennessee 69, Kentucky 57 (9% win rate)
