Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Missouri
The Kentucky basketball team has gotten off to a few slow starts this season. For example, the Cats fell behind both Indiana and St. John’s by double digits in the first 20 minutes, only to rally in the second half to win.
On Saturday, Kentucky found itself down by double digits in the Southeastern Conference opener at Alabama. This time, UK was not able to dig itself out of the whole, falling 89-74 to the Crimson Tide.
Tuesday, UK point guard Jaland Lowe noted that his team is definitely looking to get off to a quicker start, beginning on Wednesday against Missouri.
“It’s important. We’ve started off slow in a lot of our games, so setting that tone early, and at a home game, especially against Missouri (who is) coming off a win against Florida. That’s just something we’ve got to find. That’s important right now.”
Lowe believes that part of getting off to a fast start begins with the team’s preparations for games.
“I think just knowing the game plan and everybody being on the same mindset and same physicality at the same time,” Lowe said. “Imposing our will. At some point, you just need guys out there that are going to push somebody first and we have the guys for that. I think sometimes, we just come out looking for each other or somebody else to do something sometimes. But we all have guys that can take that and be the first to do that.”
On Wednesday, Kentucky hosts Missouri at Rupp Arena (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Tigers are 11-3 this season, with two of their losses coming to ranked teams (Illinois and Kansas). Missouri beat defending national champion Florda 76-74 on Saturday in Columbia. Anthony Robinson had 19 points for MU in the game, while Mark Mitchell had 14.
If Kentucky is to get its first SEC win of the season, getting off to a quicker start would be beneficial in that effort. The Cats are looking to make that happen on Wednesday.
Know Your Opponent: Missouri
Kentucky plays its SEC home opener against Missouri on Wednesday.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series, 16-3, and is 9-0 in Lexington
• Last year, UK defeated the Tigers, 91-83, on the road. Otega Oweh led the Wildcats with 22 points
• Bill Lickert owns the UK scoring record in the series with 29 points on Dec. 31, 1960 – the first ever matchup between the schools
• Missouri comes in with an 11-3 overall record. The Tigers defeated Florida in their SEC opener on Saturday
• Mark Mitchell leads Mizzou, averaging 16.9 points per game. Five players average double-figures
• Mizzou is shooting 51.4 percent from the field as a team this season, the top mark in the SEC
Last Time Out
UK dropped its league opener to Alabama on the road, 89-74
• Otega Oweh (22) and Jaland Lowe (21), each scored over 20 points, the third time this season Kentucky has had two players hit the 20-point mark
• Oweh and Lowe were the first pair of Kentucky teammates to score at least 20 points against Alabama at Coleman Coliseum since Jamal Murray and Alex Poythress in 2016
• Oweh and Lowe’s point totals were both season-highs
• Brandon Garrison blocked a season-high three shots
The Strength of the Team is in Each Individual Member
On Dec. 20 vs. St. John’s, Kentucky had its full roster available for the first time this season as Jayden Quaintance made his UK debut.
• Quaintance missed the first 11 games of the season as he worked back from ACL surgery. In his first game as a Wildcat vs. St. John’s, the sophomore scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots, finishing plus-18 in 17 minutes
• Jaland Lowe has been in and out of the lineup with a shoulder injury initially sustained during the Blue-White game
• Lowe has begun to gain his footing, leading the team in plus-minus in wins against Indiana and St. John’s, before posting a season-high 21 points at Alabama
• After missing five games with an ankle injury, Mo Dioubate returned vs. Indiana, scoring a team-high 14 points and securing a season-best 12 rebounds along with a career-high five steals. He was the first player in DI to record that stat line this season and just the third UK player to do so since at least 1996-97
