No. 20 UK (15-4, 5-2) v. Missouri (8-11, 1-5)

Tipoff: Wednesday, 9 p.m., Rupp Arena TV: SEC Network Radio: UK Radio Network, Sirius Channel 84, XM Channel 84 

Three points of emphasis for Wednesday’s UK-Missouri matchup: 

Tigers slumping

After suffering a 33-point loss at home to an Arkansas team UK beat by 14, surviving the wave of talent that resides in Rupp Arena will be a tall task for head coach Kim Anderson and the Missouri Tigers. 

Missouri ranks second to last in points per game in the SEC (67.8) and shoots just 42.6 percent from the field. But despite those numbers, UK refuses to take another conference foe lightly. UK assistant coach Tony Barbee was quick to point out that the Tigers have been wire to wire with their last three opponents.

“(Missouri) presents a big challenge,” Barbee said. “If you look at their last three games, they’re playing very well. They led at Texas A&M late in the second half. They led a lot of the game at South Carolina and played them close, the team that’s been leading the league for most of the year. And they played Georgia well at home.”

UK defense rising

The Cats’ defense has held its last three opponents to shoot 36.8 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from behind the arc. UK head coach John Calipari has had traditionally had teams loaded with great defenders, and this year’s team is starting to reach expectations. 

“We just talked about getting back to our roots,” Barbee said. “We wanted to kind of change the direction we’re headed especially coming out of that Auburn game. It was a renewed sense of focus. Our sense of urgency plays back on defense because that’s where we take pride in.”

Another strong showing against Missouri is exactly what the Cats need, especially with the trip to Lawrence, Kansas this weekend to face the No. 4 Jayhawks.

Tyler Ulis takeover

Now with seven games of scoring 20 or more points, UK sophomore Tyler Ulis is willing his team to victories. The crafty 5-foot-9 point guard is averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.0 apg and hasn’t scored in single digits since January 9.

Junior forward Marcus Lee said on Tuesday it doesn’t matter whether or not Ulis is in practice or a game – he’s going as hard as he can no matter what.

 “Tyler is so competitive that it doesn’t really matter what he’s playing,” Lee said. “So when he really gets into the game or into practice, you have to either kind of match it or he’s going to go after you.”