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The No. 5 Texas Longhorns will be looking to improve upon their 11-3 record as they will travel to Lexington to take on the struggling Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
The Longhorns have lost two of their last three matches and have fallen two games back in the Big 12 standings.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky Wildcats continue to have their own struggles this season, as they have lost four of their last five games and hold a 5-10 record on the year.
Match Details
Fixture: Texas Longhorns vs Kentucky Wildcats - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date & Time: Saturday, January 30th, 2021, 8 PM ET
Venue: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Texas Longhorns Preview
The Texas Longhorns were edged out by the Oklahoma Sooners, 80-79, on Tuesday, in a game where they were without their head coach, Shaka Smart, who was out due to COVID-19 related issues.
The Longhorns are currently one of the teams dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak amongst their roster. At one point leading up to their game against the Sooners, they only had five players available for practice while the rest were forced to quarantine.
Despite the lack of players against the Oklahoma Sooners, Texas showed great fight and nearly pulled off the comeback after going down 11 points in the second half.
Here is what assistant coach, K.T. Turner - who took over for Shaka Smart, had to say after the game, via ESPN,
There were a couple of times our guys could have just laid down and quit. They kept fighting.
It is unclear who will be able to return for the Texas Longhorns before the Kentucky Wildcats matchup, but if they can continue to battle on both ends of the floor for the full 40 minutes, they are likely to walk out with a win.
Key Player - Andrew Jones
Andrew Jones is the key player for the Texas Longhorns. The junior guard is the team's top-scoring threat averaging 14.3 points per game.
However, against the Oklahoma Sooners, Jones shot a poor 23% from the field and went zero for seven from three.
If the shorthanded Longhorns are to get back on track with a win over the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night, Andrew Jones will need to return to his normal scoring efforts.
Texas Longhorns' Predicted Lineup
F Royce Hamm Jr., F Kai Jones, F Greg Brown, G Andrew Jones, G Matt Coleman III
Kentucky Wildcats Preview
The Kentucky Wildcats suffered their tenth loss of the season Wednesday night, losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 70-59.
The problem for the Kentucky Wildcats this season has been their ability to score the ball. In every loss they have suffered this year, they have scored under 65 points. They currently rank last in the SEC for field goal conversion rate at 41.5%.
If the Wildcats are to increase their scoring total and defeat the Texas Longhorns, they will need to work harder to get better shots.
Key Player - Brandon Boston Jr.
Brandon Boston Jr.'s play has been a roller coaster this season. There will be some nights where the five-star recruit is the best player on the court, and then others where his coach, John Calipari, is benching him five minutes into the game.
Before the start of the year, Boston Jr. was predicted to be one of the players in contention for the Julius Erving Small Forward of Year award but has not played up to his expectations, via Jerry Tipton,
Boston Jr. will need to have one of his best performances on Saturday night to give the Wildcats a chance at defeating the Texas Longhorns.
Kentucky Wildcats' Predicted Lineup
F Davion Mintz., F Keion Brooks Jr., C Olivier Sarr, G Devin Askew, G Brandon Boston Jr.
Texas vs Kentucky Prediction
The Texas Longhorns will bounce back and defeat the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday night.
The Wildcats will not score enough points to keep up with the Texas Longhorns through two halves of basketball.
Expect for Andrew Jones to be back to his usual scoring ways and cause problems for the Wildcats from the perimeter.
Where to watch Texas vs Kentucky
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
