Kentucky is slowly finding their identity and part of that will come at the hands of their centers. Several of the Wildcats 7-foot stars will be needed when the University of Georgia comes to town as one of the better rebounding teams in college basketball. As Kentucky sits at No. 14 on the year, the Wildcats need a key SEC win at home to remain in the hunt.
The Wildcats will rely heavily on Willie Cauley-Stein who has developed into one of the best defensive players in the league. The center has 56 blocks in 15 games while struggling in his past three games with just 10 rebounds combined. If he is still in a slump, freshman Dakari Johnson will be called on to defend against the Bulldogs. He is coming off a game of seven rebounds and six points against Texas A&M. Julius Randle is the last center in the mix on Saturday for Kentuck. The center/forward is averaging 16.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
Georgia is off to their best start in the SEC since 2002. The team is currently 4-1 in the SEC while being led by Marcus Thornton and Donte Williams who are each averaging at least 5.0 rebounds per game. Georgia is allowing its opponents to put up 68.6 points per game while being 1-3 on the road. That could spell trouble for the team against Kentucky.
Head coach John Calipari is hoping to establish Cauley-Stein early, but foul trouble could become an issue. The center has fouled out twice recently while finding himself close to another against Texas A&M. He has dropped off considerably since those first 15 games. He is not averaging just 7.0 rebounds per game along with 8.0 points.
Kentucky has owned Georgia in recent games. The Wildcats have won three-straight against their conference rival and hope to extend that on Saturday.