Kentucky basketball has a rough stretch to begin SEC play

Kentucky has a tough start to SEC play.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope disagreed with a call during the Wildcats' season-opening game against Wright State at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. on November 4, 2024. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats have one more game before SEC play begins, and the Wildcats are starting conference play with a bang. The Wildcats host #6 Florida, then play Georgia in Athens, then head to Starkville to take on #19 Mississippi State. The Wildcats then return home to take on #13 Texas A&M and #5 Alabama in back-to-back games.

The sad reality for the Kentucky Wildcats and every team in the SEC is that there is no such thing as an easy stretch in SEC play this season. This conference is going to be absolutely loaded, but with this stretch to get things going, the Wildcats will be heavily tested.

It would be great if the Wildcats could go 4-1 in this stretch of games, but that is a very tough ask, knowing this includes four ranked games. The reason this stretch is so important is because in the SEC this season Kentucky needs to win their ranked games at home. Winning on the road in the SEC is very tough, so the Wildcats need to find a way to take care of business in ranked home games. Winning these games is often huge to help collect Quad 1 wins.

A 4-1 start to SEC play would be perfect for the Wildcats and would likely have them back in the top five of the AP Poll. The Wildcats want to get out to a hot start to build confidence before they get into the heart of conference play. This will be the toughest the SEC has ever been in basketball which is very exciting.