Georgia Bulldogs Hold Off Kentucky Wildcats 86-78 Behind Blue Cain's 20 Points

The Kentucky Wildcats, boasting a 17-9 record and a NET ranking of 28, were expected to dominate the Georgia Bulldogs, who were ranked 39th in the NET and had a record of 18-8, but the Bulldogs had other plans, riding a 39-point first half to an 86-78 victory, their first win in 5 games, and only their second in their last 9 matchups against Kentucky. Georgia's recent form had been lackluster, with a 1-4 record over their last 5 games, during which they were being outscored by an average of 8 points per game, but they managed to turn it around against the Wildcats, who were averaging 78.2 points per game over their last 5 contests. The Bulldogs' 47-point second half was the highest scoring half by either team in the game, and it was just enough to hold off a late Kentucky surge, led by Otega Oweh's 28 points, 15 of which came in the second half.

The game was marked by a series of runs, with Georgia opening up a 10-point lead in the first half, only to see Kentucky cut it to 5 by halftime, with the Wildcats' Collin Chandler scoring 10 of his 18 points in the first 20 minutes. However, the Bulldogs came out strong in the second half, pushing their lead back up to 12 with 10 minutes remaining, behind 7 points from Jeremiah Wilkinson, who finished with 19 on the night. Kentucky made a late push, cutting the deficit to 4 with just over 2 minutes left, but Georgia's Somtochukwu Cyril hit a crucial layup with 1:45 remaining, and the Bulldogs made 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to seal the win, their 18th of the season, and first ever at Rupp Arena.

Blue Cain was the star of the show for Georgia, hitting 7 of 12 shots from the field, including 2 of 4 from three-point range, and adding 5 rebounds, 3 of which came on the defensive end, to his 20-point total. Otega Oweh was the lone bright spot for Kentucky, scoring 28 points on 10 of 18 shooting, but the rest of the Wildcats' offense was stagnant, with no other player scoring more than 18 points. Denzel Aberdeen, who had been averaging 12 points per game over Kentucky's last 5, was held to just 14 points on 5 of 12 shooting, and the Wildcats' bench was outscored 23-10 by the Bulldogs' reserves.

The loss was a devastating blow to Kentucky's tournament seeding hopes, as they had been projected as a 6-seed in the NCAA tournament, but this loss, combined with their recent trend of being outscored by an average of 1.4 points per game over their last 5, may drop them to a 7 or 8 seed. CHD Scout had predicted a 7.3-point Kentucky victory, but the Wildcats' inability to defend the perimeter, where Georgia shot 44% from three-point range, and their own struggles from the free throw line, where they shot just 64%, were the main factors in the upset.

The model had anticipated a high-scoring affair, with both teams averaging over 77 points per game over their last 5, but it had not accounted for Georgia's ability to shut down Kentucky's offense, holding them to just 44% shooting from the field, and forcing 14 turnovers, which led to 18 Georgia points. The Bulldogs' defense, which had been allowing an average of 85.8 points per game over their last 5, was able to hold Kentucky to just 78, their lowest total in 5 games.

The win was a huge boost to Georgia's tournament resume, as they had been considered a bubble team, but this victory, combined with their recent win over LSU, may have locked up a spot for them, depending on how the rest of the season plays out. The Bulldogs' NET ranking of 39 is still not ideal, but they have now won 2 of their last 3, and have a chance to build some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season, with 8 games remaining, including matchups against Texas A&M, Florida, and Tennessee.

The loss drops Kentucky to 17-10, and while they are still a likely tournament team, their seeding hopes have taken a hit, and they must regroup and refocus if they want to make a deep run in the postseason. Georgia, on the other hand, is now 19-8, and while they still have work to do to secure a tournament bid, this win has given them a huge boost, and they want to build on this momentum as they head into the final stretch of the season, with a crucial matchup against Texas A&M looming next week. The Bulldogs' quad 1 win over Kentucky is their second of the season, and it may be enough to push them into the tournament field, depending on how the rest of the bubble teams perform.