Kentucky will take another shot at its first SEC win when the Wildcats host Missouri on Wednesday in Lexington, Ky.
Kentucky (9-5, 0-1 SEC) opened conference play Saturday with an 89-74 loss at then-No. 14 Alabama. Despite 22 points from Otega Oweh and 21 points from Jaland Lowe, it wasn’t enough as Kentucky’s defense yielded 15 3-pointers to the Crimson Tide.
Oweh has scored in double figures in each of the Wildcats’ 14 games this season. But it hasn’t been enough in five of those games, with each of the losses coming against ranked teams.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope observed a trend that dated back to wins over Indiana and St. John’s.
“What we’ve seen in high-major games is, it’s not the start of the game, it’s kind of that middle section,” Pope said. “(That’s) where our rotation actually can end up being a lot of different places based on fouls, fatigue and matchups.
“We have not consistently struck the right chord in big games yet, though our last three we did in the second half.”
Kentucky is 8-1 at home this season.
Missouri (11-3, 1-0 SEC) is coming off a 76-74 home win over reigning national champion Florida Saturday.
The Tigers average 83.2 points per game, and they are shooting 51.4% from the floor (16th in Division I) and 36.5% from beyond the arc.
Five players with at least 50 shot attempts — Mark Mitchell, Jacob Crews, Jayden Stone, Shawn Phillips Jr. and T.O. Barrett– are shooting 52% or better from the floor.
Stone, along with Trent Pierce, returned from injuries Saturday to combine for 19 points and four 3-pointers.
“I’m proud of the plays that they made. I’m proud of the endurance that they showed,” head coach Dennis Gates said. “Having (them) back gives us the type of shot-making, but also the type of defense when it comes down to length, IQ, but also rebounding, that we need.”
This will be Missouri’s first true road game since a loss at Notre Dame on Dec. 2.
The Wildcats and Tigers met once last season, a 91-83 road win for the Wildcats.
