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Kentucky hosts Arkansas in battle of bubble teams – all you need to know

Kentucky hosts the Arkansas Razorbacks after Cason Wallace scored 20 points in Kentucky’s 72-67 win over the Florida Gators.

vs
Tuesday, February 7
9:00 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena
Lexington,
Coverage
TV: ESPN
Radio: UK Sports Network

The college basketball season is hitting a critical juncture over the next couple of weeks. Selection Sunday is just over a month away and teams are jockeying for position in the field of 68.

This is the time of year that coaches are hoping to see their teams click and round into form before the postseason begins. Kentucky associate coach Orlando Antigua thinks the Cats are headed in the right direction.

“We know that games in conference right now, at this point in the season, are all hard. We need to be at our best. I think we're playing at a great pace and with great rhythm right now, and we want to continue that.”

Kentucky's next challenge comes on Tuesday night, when the Cats host Arkansas at Rupp Arena (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Razorbacks are 16-7 overall and 5-5 in the Southeastern Conference. Antigua knows that head coach Eric Musselman will have his Hogs ready to play.

“Expecting a tough challenge. They've won four in a row in conference, they've got a really talented team, three of the best guards in the league,” Antigua said. “They're going to be well-prepared, they've got a great coach in Coach Musselman.”

Read full article here.

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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