WHERE: Stegeman Coliseum
WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 12-2, 0-1; Kentucky 12-2, 1-0
TV/RADIO: SEC Network (John Schriffen, Richard Hendrix); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Chuck Dowdle, Adam Gillespie).
As deep and competitive as the SEC appears to be in basketball, the message for all 16 league teams is simple. You’d better win your home games.
If last Saturday’s opening round of conference matchups is an indication, that's the standard.
Of the eight league games, home teams won all but one, going 7-1. The only exception is LSU’s 80-72 loss to visiting Vanderbilt.
Unfortunately for Georgia, the Bulldogs had an early taste of how difficult life on the road in the SEC could be.
Georgia lost 63-51 to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs cut the lead to two before their shooting went ice-cold down the stretch, allowing the Rebels to finish off the win.
Georgia will try its luck on Tuesday in the friendly confines of Stegeman Coliseum. The opponent is 7th-ranked Kentucky (12-2, 1-0).
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and televised on the SEC Network.
“It's an incredible gauntlet ahead for us, but we're going to be competitive and we're going to win our share,” head coach Mike White said. “We're eager to get home and start prepping for the next one.”
White isn’t kidding.
Georgia’s next four games will see the Bulldogs (12-2, 0-1) host No. 17 Oklahoma on Saturday before traveling to No. 1 Tennessee (Jan. 15) and then returning home against No. 2 Auburn (Jan. 18).
“It's about the first four minutes of that game, that first round and the second round. That said, obviously big picture. You've got to win some at home, and you’ve got to win some on the road, too,” White said. “We expect a big crowd. Our guys will be jacked up to play a really good team. How unique is it that we'll be saying that for 18 straight?”
Under first-year coach Mark Pope, a former Georgia assistant, Tuesday’s contest will be the Wildcats’ second road game of the year. Kentucky dropped a 70-66 decision at Clemson in the SEC/ACC Challenge but is coming off a 106-100 win over Florida last Saturday.
“Coach told us it's our crib, so we have to protect it. Nobody's going to come in and punk us. But we just got to get a win,” Bulldog freshman Asa Newell said. “Home games are a must-win. So, we're just going to have to get back to it right on Tuesday.”
Tyrin Lawrence has been through his share of SEC wars.
The Vanderbilt transfer is in his fourth season in the league and knows how important it can be to be able to turn the page.
“It’s a quick turnaround, man, and there's no need to keep thinking about what we could have done better in this game. We just got to move past it,” Lawrence said. “You know, I've seen teams win five in a row. I've seen teams lose five in a row. We’ve just got to turn the page and see what we can do better on Tuesday.”
For Georgia to compete against the Wildcats, the shots had better start to fall.
The Bulldogs struggled offensively against Ole Miss, hitting only 29 percent of their shots after averaging over 50 percent prior to the game.
“I think we were below 30 percent from the field, but we still were in the game late, like we were down four, maybe three minutes to go,” said Lawrence. “So, even without a bad shooting night, we still had a chance to win it at the end. That's all I can ask for is a chance.”
