Kentucky Beat: Keys to the Game Thursday night vs. Georgetown

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky may not be playing the No. 1 team in the country Thursday night, but the Georgetown Hoyas are still a significant opponent for the Wildcats. Again, Thursday night may be “just an exhibition game” for the Wildcats, but to them, it still counts.

Georgetown played at Rupp Arena in the legendary 1985 NCAA Tournament National Championship, when the Hoyas were upset by the No. 8 seed Villanova Wildcats. That game is one of the most significant in NCAA Tournament and College Basketball history.

Let’s take a look at my keys to the game ahead of Thursday night at Rupp Arena.

Keys to the Game

1. Come out with the same mentality as in the Purdue game
Again, this may not be No. 1 Purdue. But this Kentucky team knows that if the ball is being tipped to start a game, it counts. That mentality needs to be on display Thursday night, and it should be.

2. Rebounding
The Wildcats did an excellent job on the boards against Purdue, winning the rebound battle 42-30. That same effort will go a long way against a Hoyas team that averaged 35.2 rebounds per game last season and should be a good rebounding team again this season.

3. Avoid the chaos
Last year, the Hoyas had 480 assists and 395 turnovers. Their opponents had 459 assists and 450 turnovers. That sounds like chaos. The Wildcats can’t get caught up in that.

4. Three-point shooting defense
This is a matchup that should be favorable for the Wildcats. The Hoyas shot just 32.3 percent from three-point range in 2024-2025.

Score Prediction: Wildcats 81 – Hoyas 68
Coming off an impressive performance against No. 1 Purdue, there is every reason to believe the Wildcats will have another impressive performance Thursday night against the Hoyas. This will be another good opponent for the Wildcats ahead of the start of the regular season, and they will be ready to play in front of their home crowd at Rupp Arena Thursday night.