No. 6 Kentucky lost in a physical game at Georgia on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs were able to defeat the Cats in Athens through aggressive play on both ends of the field.

On Saturday, the Cats face a Mississippi State team also known for its physicality. UK head coach Mark Pope knows physical play is a part of the Southeastern Conference.

“The game is becoming more and more physical in the league, and so our guys have an understanding of that – and there’s also some understanding of where you can be really, really physical and where you can’t, right? And that’s part of our determination,” Pope said. “It has many facets. One is just the physics aspect, the low center of gravity and the nature of being the one to hit first and the first hit, and secondly there’s all the schematics and skill behind it.”

Pope also points out that part of physicality is spiritual.

“And then there’s the mentality and the IQ,” Pope said. “The mentality is a kind of aggression where you always think about contact, contact, contact and the IQ is to understand when and where it is appropriate and where it can be used and where it is important.” ”

Following Tuesday’s game, Great Britain striker Andrew Carr spoke about physical play on the UK Sports Network’s postgame show.

“We just have to get tougher, we have to get more physical,” Carr said. “We have to get nastier and angrier when we play. Bring that edge.”

According to Carr, there is a technique for being more physical.

“Being tough can look like a whole bunch of different things,” Carr said. “One of those things for us, especially tonight, was being tougher, being more disciplined without fouling and moving our feet better.”

Mississippi State will pose a big challenge for the Cats. The Bulldogs have a sparkling 14-1 record this season and opened SEC play with wins over South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Josh Hubbard leads MSU with an average of 17.1 points per game. Claudell Harris Jr. is scoring 11.1 points per contest.

Saturday’s game will be played between two of the top scoring teams in the country. Kentucky is third nationally averaging 88.8 points per game, while Mississippi State is at 27^Than average of 83.5 points per use.

Although the offenses grab the headlines, this game could come down to which team handles the physicality better. Kentucky hopes to take another step in the right direction against Mississippi State.