Three takeaways from sixth-ranked Kentucky basketball’s loss to the Georgia Bulldogs
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Game day: Georgia 82, No. 6 Kentucky 69
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
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Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 82-69 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday at Stegeman Coliseum:
1. There’s no place like home
This Kentucky team received its first taste of SEC life on the road. And it wasn’t good. Seven of the eight conference teams won their home openers last Saturday. Florida kicked off its league home schedule by beating No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday night. Georgia followed suit by knocking off the sixth-ranked Cats.
And the packed house at Stegeman Coliseum was here for it. Never mind that Mike White’s Bulldogs had lost by double digits at Ole Miss last Saturday. Never mind that Kentucky was coming off that electric 106-100 win over the Gators.
“Everyone plays better at home,” UK guard Lamont Butler said after the loss. “They got the crowd behind them. They had more energy. We’ve got to combat that. The only way to win on the road is go out there and compete and fight and be us.”
And the Cats did not look like the Cats on Tuesday. The nation’s No. 1 team in terms of turnover percentage, Mark Pope’s team turned the ball over 14 times, compared to eight assists. The Cats gave up 13 offensive rebounds and watched Georgia take 38 free throws. The Dogs hit 29.
“There were so many uncharacteristic plays on the court tonight,” Pope said afterward. “For us, as a decision-making team, those are manifestations of some distraction. (We have) to root that out and get better at focusing on the moment.”
2. Jaxson Robinson is struggling
After going 2-for-6 from 3-point land in the Cats’ win over Florida, UK guard Jaxson Robinson came back on the Rupp Arena floor from the locker room. And took shots. Then more shots. And more shots after that.
It’s clear last season’s Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year isn’t happy with his game right now. And, as evidenced by what he did last Saturday, that the veteran is doing best to try and fix it. But his struggles continue.
Robinson missed four of his five shots on Tuesday, all from 3-point land. He finished with just five points in 27:06 on the floor. He is now 28-for-95 shooting from beyond the arc for 29.4%. That’s below the 35.4% he shot last year from 3 at BYU.
Not that Robinson was alone Tuesday. After going 14-for-29 shooting from 3-point range vs. Florida, the Cats were just 6-for-25 from 3 vs. Georgia. After going 7-for-9 from 3 on Saturday, Koby Brea was 2-for-9 on Tuesday. Otega Oweh missed all three of his 3s. Lamont Butler was 1-for-3. Andrew Carr was 0-for-2.
“It’s the ebb and flow of the game, that’s all it is,” Pope said. “Jaxson has been doing this for a long time. He’s a shot-maker. The most important thing for Jaxson, and for all the guys, is that we don’t actually carry that baggage around. We are a free-shooting team. We don’t carry the outcome of makes and misses with us.”
3. Teams are getting physical with UK
Butler disagreed with a question about teams trying to play a physical style against Kentucky, but it did appear that in Ohio State’s 85-65 win over UK in New York, the Buckeyes tried to bully the Cats. Same Tuesday night with the Bulldogs.
As mentioned previously, Georgia grabbed 13 offensive rebounds. The Dawgs forced 14 turnovers. They did not shy away from bodying the Cats whenever possible. When Florida tried that Saturday, UK adjusted. Against Georgia, Amari Williams picked up three fouls in the first half. The 7-foot center finished with two points and five rebounds in just 13 minutes.
Georgia was also able to play the game at its pace. The Bulldogs were 28th in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. They not only held Kentucky to 69 points, UK shot just 37.5% for the game, including 34.5% in the second half.
Somto Cyril, Georgia’s 6-11 freshman center from Nigeria, grabbed eight rebounds in just 18 minutes. Four of those were on the offensive glass. At one point, Cyril just elbowed UK sophomore Brandon Garrison out of the way after grabbing the rebound and dunked.
“I feel like this whole SEC is just physical,” said Garrison, who finished with 13 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. “You just got to be dirty down there and get the rebound.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 11:11 PM.
