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Georgia-Kentucky Preview

Jan 8, 2010 - 7:57 PM By JUSTIN EINHORN STATS Senior Editor

Georgia (8-5) at Kentucky (15-0), 4:00 p.m. EDT

Kentucky was the runaway preseason pick to win the SEC. Non-conference play certainly couldn't have made anyone think that was the wrong choice.

Coach John Calipari feels his team has been far from perfect, even though that's the record the third-ranked Wildcats bring into their SEC opener Saturday against visiting Georgia.

Kentucky (15-0) joins Kansas, Texas and Purdue as the only Division I teams yet to lose, and it's the lone SEC team without at least two defeats.

"The way I've always coached is day-to-day," Calipari said. "I'm just trying to keep guys in the moment. We've got to rip out the rearview mirror, have amnesia and move on."

Though Calipari feels the Wildcats are "about 9-6" by his standards, having survived some close calls, there has been talk of a possible undefeated season because their SEC slate doesn't appear too daunting. They only have three games versus current Top 25 teams, and two of those are against a Tennessee squad which just dismissed one of its top players and indefinitely suspended three others.

Kentucky earned 20 of the 25 first-place votes in preseason balloting for the SEC champion - Mississippi State had three and the Volunteers two. The Wildcats have won 43 regular-season SEC titles but none since 2005.

"I want to go undefeated," star freshman John Wall said. "That's not going to be an easy thing. That's going to be tough. I'm not saying we're going to do it or it's going to be easy, but that's a goal that I have."

He has keyed the Wildcats' best start since going 15-0 in 1969-70. They haven't had a better one since opening 23-0 in 1965-66.

Wall and Patrick Patterson were recently named among the top 30 candidates for the Wooden Award. Wall ranks second nationally with 7.3 assists per game while averaging a team-high 17.2 points, and Patterson scores 16.7 per game as he ranks among the Division I leaders in field-goal shooting at 63.0 percent.

Patterson averages 8.3 rebounds and DeMarcus Cousins is third in the conference with 9.6 per game. Cousins, the reigning SEC player of the week, has posted four straight double-doubles and eight this season.

"He is playing with a lot more confidence," Calipari said.

Some may consider Cousins fortunate to be playing Saturday after swinging his forearm at a Louisville player's head toward the end of a scrum in a 71-62 victory last Saturday. Cousins received a technical but was not ejected and has avoided suspension.

That occasional lack of maturity, as well as inconsistent outside shooting and ball-handling, are among the issues the Wildcats hope to overcome. They were a season-worst 2 of 14 from beyond the arc against Louisville and committed 18 turnovers.

Wall's 57 turnovers lead the SEC and teammate Eric Bledsoe is third with 51.

Georgia failed to force more than 12 turnovers in four straight games until getting 20 Tuesday against No. 20 Georgia Tech in a 73-66 victory.

The win in its first game of the season against a ranked opponent should provide the Bulldogs (8-5) with a confidence boost, as should their last visit to Rupp Arena. They won 90-85 in Lexington on March 4.

That was one of the few highlights to a 12-20 season for Georgia, which finished last in the SEC East. The Bulldogs were picked to finish in the same spot this season and enter conference play with the division's worst overall record.

Trey Thompkins keyed Georgia's win at Rupp with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and his 20 points led the team Tuesday. The sophomore is averaging a team-high 16.2 points, but he's totaled 18 in three true road games - all losses.

The Bulldogs are scoring a league-low 65.6 points per game.