Predicting Kentucky's record in SEC play this season

Conference play is upon us, BBN. The Kentucky Wildcats will get things started on Saturday in the SEC as they head to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide, who is ranked #14 in the country. It's definitely not an easy way to start conference play, but Pope isn't for backing down from any challenges. After going 10-8 in conference play last season, Kentucky is hoping for better results this time.

Granted, the SEC was historically good last season, as they had a record 14 teams get a bid into the NCAA Tournament, and Kentucky was dealing with multiple injuries, especially with guys in and out of the rotation, but it still wasn't the best record to finish with, as they went 10-8 and finished ranked 12th out of 16 in the conference. Now, this Kentucky team is entering SEC play hoping to remain healthy, and like last year, a lot of that hinges on the point guard. If Jaland Lowe can stay healthy, Kentucky can accomplish great things in the conference.

We have seen glimpses of this Kentucky team fully healthy, as the second halves of both the Indiana and St. John's games have proven just how high this team's ceiling is when everyone is on the floor, especially with star big man Jayden Quaintance debuting against St. John's, who is an absolute difference maker on the court, providing energy down low and creating a dynamic defensive duo next to Mo Dioubate. Enough talking about this Kentucky team, because you've seen what they can be. Before we make our record prediction, let's talk a little about what the SEC will bring this season, a conference that currently has six teams in the AP Poll top 25: Vandy (#11), Alabama (#14), Arkansas (#18), Tennessee (#19), Florida (#22) and Georgia (#23).

The SEC, like every year, is full of defensive juggernaut teams who like to beat you up and make you uncomfortable. Four teams feature top 25 defenses in Florida, Vandy, Tennessee and Kentucky. Combine that with teams with electric offenses, like Alabama, Vandy, Auburn and Arkansas, all top 20 offenses according to KenPom, and it's a tough league to make it out of. Then there are the teams that have both as they enter conference play. Vandy, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Georgia all have great offenses to go with physical defenses. That's why they're entering this portion of the season ranked as the best in the conference. To put it all together, the SEC will break you down if you're not built for it. Last year, Kentucky clearly couldn't handle physical teams, especially those with athletic guards who could easily get to the rim. Pope and the staff worked to answer those glaring holes this offseason, and he'll get an opportunity to show it, hopefully presenting a team with no major injury setbacks from now on.

Let's predict Kentucky's record in SEC play game-by-game shall we?

@ Alabama: L

Missouri: W

Mississippi State: W

@ LSU: W

@ Tennessee: L

Texas: W

Ole Miss: W

@ Vanderbilt: L

@ Arkansas: W

Oklahoma: W

Tennessee: W

@ Florida: L

Georgia: L

@ Auburn: W

@ South Carolina: W

Vanderbilt: W

@ Texas A&M: W

Florida: W

SEC Record: 13-5

The SEC is notorious for beating up on each other, especially when a number of the teams are very good. This year, Kentucky's "smash mouth" style of play needs to continue being the team's identity. There is a reason this team praised their defensive ability this off-season and set such a high standard on that end of the floor. Having Jaland Lowe back should also help the offense, of course, which needs to stay being aggressive. The 13-5 record should put Kentucky at, or very near the top of the conference standings. Sitting at 9-4 on the season and just 2-4 in quad 1 games, there will be plenty of resume-boosting opportunities ahead for Kentucky.

One thing I think we can all agree on is healthy Kentucky is a much different team, especially the impact that Lowe has, and that should be everyone's main concern heading into SEC play. If this team is healthy, they can make some serious noise.