MATT FARGO

Kentucky at Connecticut
Prediction: Connecticut

I was on Kentucky on Saturday against North Carolina and the Wildcats ended up being a big letdown. They let a 19-point lead slip away and had to hold on with late free throws. They had a five-point lead with 4.3 seconds remaining but the Tar Heels nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the -3 Kentucky tickets in the garbage. Those losses are very frustrating because we had the side but fate intervened. Tonight, the Wildcats venture outside of Rupp Arena for their first real teat away from home as they go to MSG to take on Connecticut in the marquee matchup in this year?s SEC/Big East Challenge. Kentucky has remained undefeated despite some close calls and it should have at least a couple losses at this point and even head coach John Calipari says his team is not playing well and should be sitting at 4-4. this young team is in for a tough meeting tonight. Connecticut has one loss on the season and that came against Duke in this same building. The Huskies outshot the Blue Devils 36.1 percent to 29.2 percent but they were manhandled on the boards, out up a 0.69 assist/turnover ratio and went 0-4 from long range. The Huskies were also just 15-28 from the free throw line and that was an aberration more than the norm as Connecticut is hitting 69.6 percent from the charity stripe on the season. The Huskies have had their share of close calls as well, William & Mary and Harvard are the most discerning, but the situation here is much better. Getting ready for a top ten team is a lot easier than getting up for a lower-tiered mid-major and the Huskies have the court edge since this is a common stop for them. As mentioned, they have already played at MSG twice this season and they are here every year for the Big East Tournament. The experience of Connecticut is huge and will make the difference here. 3* Connecticut Huskies