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SEC schools are squaring off on Tuesday, in Columbia's Colonial Life Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats (14-3' 11-6-0 ATS) are the visiting team, and the South Carolina Gamecocks (15-3; 13-5-0 ATS) are hosting as always. This battle is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Last season, South Carolina took the only meeting between these schools in Kentucky. Will the Wildcats get revenge or do the Gamecocks have their number?
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#8 Kentucky is 4-1 in SEC play after Saturday's win. The good news from that game is that they scored 105 points, the fourth straight game where the Wildcats reached 90. Powered by senior Antonio Reeves (19.5 ppg), Kentucky scores a nation-leading 91.6 points per game. They're top 10 in field goal percentage (50.3%, 7th) and three-point percentage (40.2%, 6th) on a national scale. The team also attempts 20.3 free throws per game, converting 74.8% of those chances. Kentucky only turns the ball over 10.0 times per game. KenPom considers this the fourth-best offense in the country, and it's easy to see why.
The bad news from Saturday is that Kentucky allowed 96 points. This defense, especially on the road (86.0 points against average) appears to be an issue. For the season, the Wildcats are giving up 77.2 points per game (second-most in the SEC). However, part of that is tempo, as Kentucky keeps foes to 42.1% shooting and 31.3% from deep. They are a positive rebounding (+1.6) and rebounding (+3.0) team. Allowing 20.6 free throws can bite them sometimes, but for the most part, the defense does enough.