Florida game may be the most important game of the season for UK

[JonathanW]

We've never seen the SEC, or maybe any league stacked from top to bottom like this before.
Sure the 2 UT, the 2 Alabama, and the Auburn, may all be better competition. But with the league like this, getting off on a good start in league play, and winning your home games are both very important. Because there won't be any (or at most 1-2) easy games for the next 10 weeks.
In the coming weeks, there may be bigger wins (hopefully), and there may be (probably will be) worse losses. But I think this is and will be the most important one.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

It definitely IS the most important game of the season in my eyes.

In a league this tough, we HAVE to protect homeport. Have to.

Notching another Top-10 win would be critical for our resume.

Saturday's game is the difference between jumping back into the top 5, or having to hang around the 15 range the next few weeks, where another loss could bump us into the 20s of the AP poll.

Super, super important to protect homecourt- if we can do that, it would mean wins over Florida, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee, all currently TOP 6 in the country!

Lose this game, and we're suddenly behind the 8-ball in league play, with 2 tough road games coming up (@UGA and @ Miss State) and a real, real high likelihood of starting SEC play 1-2 or even 0-3.

 

[docholiday51]

Most important to date, no doubt about that. Going forward hopefully we have several games that fall into that category. If the SEC is what we think it is and we are in the mix to win the regular season at some point the biggest game of the year will be the next one we play.

 

[uk78]

Holding home court is always important. Most important? Well of course that depends upon the season. It obviously will not bode well for us to lose at home.

 

[KentuckyCat420]

I have a terrible feeling we’re about to see our basketball team slide into a funk, I’ll be putting $$ on the Gators.

Maybe it’s because I was there in person to watch the abomination at the Garden but I can’t shake the feeling that we actually peaked already.

 

[TTTblue24]

We have to hold serve at home this season cause the road games will all be extremely tough so can’t drop any at home to stay in the race imo.

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

I have a terrible feeling we’re about to see our basketball team slide into a funk, I’ll be putting $$ on the Gators.

Maybe it’s because I was there in person to watch the abomination at the Garden but I can’t shake the feeling that we actually peaked already.

I don’t think a team can peak in 13 games.

 

[SemperFiCat]

It's a meaningful game. It's not the most important to date, nor of the season. It's a tough meaningful game that would be really nice to win. Let's not over exaggerate a conference game before the conference play even starts. Lots of basketball to be played.

 

[ukcatz12]

I have a terrible feeling we’re about to see our basketball team slide into a funk, I’ll be putting $$ on the Gators.

Maybe it’s because I was there in person to watch the abomination at the Garden but I can’t shake the feeling that we actually peaked already.

Let me tell you something, we haven't even begun to peak. And when we do peak, you'll know. Because we're gonna peak so hard that everybody in college basketball is gonna feel it.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

It's a meaningful game. It's not the most important to date, nor of the season. It's a tough meaningful game that would be really nice to win. Let's not over exaggerate a conference game before the conference play even starts. Lots of basketball to be played.

It's more about the fact that if we lose this game, we are looking at a very likely scenario of (best case) opening SEC play 1-2, or perhaps just as likely, starting SEC play 0-3.

Win this game and find a way to steal one of the next 2 on the road, we start 2-1 instead and are AP Top 10.

Otherwise, we may not be ranked at all come January 13th.

Start 0-3, and 0% chance we have to win the league already and it'll only be the 2nd week of January.

Seems pretty pivotal at this point.

I would trade this UF win for the Gonzaga win in a heartbeat - not quite the Duke win YET but if we drop this one, there's a very real nightmare scenario of us being 0-3 just 8 days from now, and heading into back to back games against #13 Texas A&M and #5 Alabama.

 

[Skyguyb27]

The next game is always the most important game. Next it’ll be UGA because they are unranked and everyone’s afraid of a let down game, then it’ll be MS State because they are ranked etc.

 

[JFCats22]

This game is massively important. Lose this one and we are in a major hole to start SEC play.

Maybe we win @UGA but I don't think we win at MSU then we have a very good A&M team at home, then Bama, @ Vandy, @UT.

We'd be lucky to go 4-3 in that stretch. Lose tomorrow and 3-4 or 2-5 becomes a very real scenario.

 

[billoliver40]

It's the first conference game so it's important.
Not the be all and end all of the season. Would love to hold serve at home though.

 

[kywildcatsfannumber1]

#1 undefeated Tennessee and Auburn are still on the schedule. Both very important games. Not to take away the importance of the Florida game but those two along with Alabama are all games against the Top 5-6.

 

[blackcat714]

We've never seen the SEC, or maybe any league stacked from top to bottom like this before.
Sure the 2 UT, the 2 Alabama, and the Auburn, may all be better competition. But with the league like this, getting off on a good start in league play, and winning your home games are both very important. Because there won't be any (or at most 1-2) easy games for the next 10 weeks.
In the coming weeks, there may be bigger wins (hopefully), and there may be (probably will be) worse losses. But I think this is and will be the most important one.

One never knows till the tournament starts SEC basketball teams may fizzle out lke the football teams have.

 

[Fox2monk]

It definitely IS the most important game of the season in my eyes.

In a league this tough, we HAVE to protect homeport. Have to.

Notching another Top-10 win would be critical for our resume.

Saturday's game is the difference between jumping back into the top 5, or having to hang around the 15 range the next few weeks, where another loss could bump us into the 20s of the AP poll.

Super, super important to protect homecourt- if we can do that, it would mean wins over Florida, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee, all currently TOP 6 in the country!

Lose this game, and we're suddenly behind the 8 ball in league play, with 2 tough road games coming up (@UGA and @ Miss State) and a real, real high likelihood of starting SEC play 1-2 or even 0-3.

We aren’t going 0-3! 2-1 at worst but I think we start 3-0 baby! Go Cats.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

I don’t think a team can peak in 13 games.

Especially not a team in which every single player is brand new to the roster. None of these guys have played together before this season. Not a chance. That doesn’t even make sense to me, though, I’ve heard several analysts kinda insist we had already peaked. I just don’t see how that’s possible. JMO.

 

[HenryMuto]

Don't leave Clayton open for 3

 

[fatguy87]

If we go 3-0, book that Final Four trip!

Well, maybe not just yet. It would be a wonderful start though.

 

[KYFOSSIL]

I have a terrible feeling we’re about to see our basketball team slide into a funk, I’ll be putting $$ on the Gators.

Maybe it’s because I was there in person to watch the abomination at the Garden but I can’t shake the feeling that we actually peaked already.

I may not bet on the Cats at times but Id never bet on the other team to win. Money > fandom i guess.

 

[yabbadabbadoo]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Haha
Wow

 

[Digger-Cat]

If we go 3-0 our first 3 SEC games, the 20 point loss to OSU will have done what we needed it to do.

 

[Wildcats1st]

We've never seen the SEC, or maybe any league stacked from top to bottom like this before.
Sure the 2 UT, the 2 Alabama, and the Auburn, may all be better competition. But with the league like this, getting off on a good start in league play, and winning your home games are both very important. Because there won't be any (or at most 1-2) easy games for the next 10 weeks.
In the coming weeks, there may be bigger wins (hopefully), and there may be (probably will be) worse losses. But I think this is and will be the most important one.

It is until the next game. But I agree this game will set the tone and we have to defend home court

 

[gojvc]

We have to hold serve at home this season cause the road games will all be extremely tough so can’t drop any at home to stay in the race imo.

I don’t think 7-2 at home would be that bad.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I have a terrible feeling we’re about to see our basketball team slide into a funk, I’ll be putting $$ on the Gators.

Maybe it’s because I was there in person to watch the abomination at the Garden but I can’t shake the feeling that we actually peaked already.

It's a hilariously twisted logic that asserts that a team filled with young players, playing together for the first time, isn't supposed to "peak" until March; and yet a team filled with older players, also playing together for the first time, is in danger of peaking before Christmas?

How does that work exactly?

 

[know1]

The Duke game was more important.

 

[NociHTTP]

I have a terrible feeling we’re about to see our basketball team slide into a funk, I’ll be putting $$ on the Gators.

Maybe it’s because I was there in person to watch the abomination at the Garden but I can’t shake the feeling that we actually peaked already.

Lol. Peak happens when things are going as well as they can go, and a ceiling has been hit in terms of learning and talent. Peaking is not the problem with this team.

 

[rick64]

SEC is so stacked this season that holding serve at home is even more important.

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

It's a hilariously twisted logic that asserts that a team filled with young players, playing together for the first time, isn't supposed to "peak" until March; and yet a team filled with older players, also playing together for the first time, is in danger of peaking before Christmas?

How does that work exactly?

It’s like they think once you reach 23-24 you can no longer improve on your game