Life comes at you fast in the SEC.

One game, you look like a Final Four team. The next game, you look like a team that’s going to go 15 rounds in a second-round game.

Tuesday night, the Kentucky Wildcats went down to Georgia and got stomped, 82-69. This Bulldogs team is good, and they very well could wind up in the NCAA Tournament, but Kentucky was outplayed physically and lacked the toughness to overcome a 13-point halftime deficit.

After the game, senior forward Andrew Carr said Kentucky needs to be more physical, even downright nasty.

Georgia out-rebounded Kentucky 41-34, including 13-1 on the offensive glass. Yikes.

Kentucky was held to 37.5% shooting from the field, including 6-25 from three-point range. The Wildcats tried multiple times in the second half to mount a comeback, but they just could not get over the hump Georgia presented.

This is the SEC this year. For every game, you had better be ready to go 15 rounds and physically go toe-to-toe. Otherwise, nights like tonight at Georgia are going to happen more often than you’d like them to.

Kentucky is back in action Saturday night at No. 14 Mississippi State. Tipoff is at 8:30 PM ET on the SEC Network.

The Kentucky Wildcats are set for a road matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs. Game time is set for 7 PM ET on the SEC Network. You can watch the game online using ESPN+ or tune in via radio stream through the UK Sports Network.

Fresh off another top-10 win over Florida, Kentucky now heads into its first road game of the SEC season, which is also another Quad I opportunity vs. a solid Georgia team that’s 12-2 with wins over Notre Dame (home), St. John’s (neutral), and Georgia Tech (away).

Kentucky technically has a road win over Gonzaga, but that’s considered to be a semi-away game (at least via KenPom), so this is a chance for the Cats to notch their first true road win of the season.

Koby Brea was initially listed as questionable to play tonight, but it looks like he’ll give it a go in Athens.

Pregame Reading

Let’s Go CATS!

Kentucky’s Republican-dominated legislature convened Tuesday to start a 30-day session expected to include action to reduce the state’s individual income tax rate. GOP lawmakers also will resume efforts to curb diversity, equity and inclusion practices on college campuses.

While their constituents back home were digging out from a massive winter storm, the House and Senate gaveled into session at midday amid the usual opening day pomp. New lawmakers were welcomed and stacks of bills were introduced in both chambers. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear will present his priorities in his State of the Commonwealth speech, set for Wednesday evening.

With supermajorities in both chambers, Republican legislators will set the agenda and determine the outcome of legislation. They wield enough clout to override any gubernatorial vetoes.

Priorities will include a measure to reduce the individual income tax rate to 3.5% from 4%, to take effect in 2026. Top GOP lawmakers announced last year that the state had met the financial conditions needed to set in motion another cut in the tax rate.

Since Republicans passed a tax overhaul in 2022, the personal income tax has gradually been reduced by increments of a half-percentage point, conditioned on meeting benchmarks that ensure revenues are sufficient to meet state spending needs.

Lawmakers also will focus on unfinished business from a year ago, including the push to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public universities. Anti-DEI legislation died last year i n Kentucky amid a House-Senate impasse — resulting in a rare setback for the GOP on a priority, hot-button issue. It reflects a broader conservative quest in GOP-led states to curb DEI initiatives.

The prospect of DEI legislation resurfacing in 2025 had an impact on some campuses. The University of Kentucky announced last August that it was disbanding its office promoting diversity and inclusion efforts in response to questions from state policymakers. The university’s president stressed that the school’s core values remained intact — to protect academic freedom and promote a “sense of belonging” for everyone on campus, regardless of background or perspective.

Lawmakers could also debate whether to bolster oversight of Medicaid — a joint federal and state program that provides health coverage for low-income Kentuckians and people with disabilities.

Spending on Medicaid accounts for a significant portion of the state budget and the program covers more than a third of Kentucky’s population, Republican state Rep. Adam Bowling said recently.

“We have a deeply vested interest in ensuring that the program is operating effectively and efficiently for both those who depend on it and the taxpayers who pay for it,” Bowling said.

Lawmakers’ biggest responsibility — crafting a state budget — won’t be on the agenda this year since they passed a two-year budget in 2024. But they could choose to reopen the budget this year to make adjustments or insert new spending items.

Lawmakers will meet this week and then head home until early February, when the 2025 session will resume. The session will wrap up in late March.