The schedule is about to ramp up for the Kentucky Wildcats, who will travel to South Carolina for their first true road game to take on the Clemson Tigers in the SEC/ACC Challenge.

Clemson is coming off its second Elite Eight appearance in school history and was picked to finish fourth in the ACC this season. However, it lost seven players from last year’s roster, including first-team All-ACC selection and program great PJ Hall to the NBA.

The Tigers enter the week at 7-1 overall. While they slipped up against Boise State, they have won games over Penn State and San Francisco, both of which are in the top 50 in KenPom. That said, Kentucky will be by far the toughest opponent they have played this young season.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Dictating Tempo

According to KenPom, Kentucky plays the fastest pace of any power conference team, ranked fifth in adjusted tempo (73.6). On the other hand, Clemson plays at one of the slowest paces in the country, ranked 292nd, and will be the slowest team the Wildcats play all season.

In Kentucky’s last two games, we have seen their opponents play with more physicality and an effort to slow down the game and keep the Wildcats from getting into rhythm. Clemson is better than both of those teams and will attempt to do the same.

Combine that with a true road environment, and the Wildcats’ explosive offense will certainly be tested on Tuesday.

Improvement on Turnovers

One of Clemson’s calling cards on defense is its ability to force turnovers. The Tigers force their opponents to turn the ball over nearly 15 times per game. In addition to their slow pace on offense, this allows them to have the possession advantage. More possession typically leads to more shot attempts and more points.

Kentucky has been good at taking care of the ball for the most part this season, exceeding 10 turnovers just once, against Bucknell.

However, we have seen teams begin to attack Kentucky’s bigs at the top of the key as they initiate the offense, most commonly Amari Williams. Williams has good passing ability, but he will have to make quicker reads against Clemson.

Perimeter Defense

Due to its slower pace, Clemson doesn’t shoot as many 3s as Kentucky, but it attempts the deep shot at nearly the same rate as the Wildcats. Percentage-wise, it is even slightly more efficient, shooting 39.6% from deep, compared to Kentucky’s 38.2%.

The difference is the amount of shooters between the two teams. Kentucky currently has seven players shooting 30% or better from deep, while Clemson has just four, and they often substitute for each other rather than play alongside each other.

The Tigers’ 3-point attack is centered around Chase Hunter and Chauncey Wiggins, who shoot 40% or greater on more than thirty attempts this season. Lamont Butler will likely get Hunter, but Wiggins is a big shooting threat. Andrew Carr defended him at times last season at Wake Forest.

Opposing Players to Watch

G Chase Hunter 6-4, 202 lbs

• 16.4 PPG
• 2.4 APG
• 46.5% 3P

F Ian Schieffelin 6-8, 240 lbs

• 12.5 PPG
• 11.6 RPG
• 3.6 APG

G Jaeden Zackery 6-1, 218 lbs

• 8.0 PPG
• 2.9 APG
• 1.9 SPG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Clemson Tigers

Time: 9:30 PM ET on December 3rd, 2024
Location: Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina.
TV Channel: ESPN
Announcers: Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings)
Rosters: UK | CLEM
Stats to Know: UK | CLEM
KenPom: UK | CLEM
Team Sheet: UK | CLEM

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by 1.5 points with an over/under of 155.5. Bart Torvik (54%) and EvanMiya (52.6%) give Kentucky a slight edge in this SEC-ACC battle. However, KenPom (44%) and ESPN (49.4%) favor Clemson.

Predictions: KenPom (78-76) and Haslametrics (77-76) have the Tigers winning by one score. Bart Torvik (76-75) and EvanMiya (77-76) have Kentucky winning by a single point. I’m going with an 82-77 victory, Kentucky!

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

The Kentucky Wildcats will be back in Rupp Arena Friday night to take on the Georgia State Panthers.

The Panthers, sitting at .500 on the season, are led by third-year head coach Jonas Hayes. Ranked 224th in KenPom, Georgia State will be the second-worst opponent Kentucky has played thus far.

In their one Power Four game vs. Mississippi State, the Panthers lost 101-66. They were also picked to finish 12th of 14 Sun Belt Conference teams.

Let’s take a look at the matchup in what should be a high-scoring night for the Cats.

Push the Tempo

The Wildcats have gotten into some teams’ legs with their fast pace. Just look at the end of the Western Kentucky game, where their depth and persistence extended a six-point lead to an 18-point win over the final 12 minutes.

That said, Georgia State may be most susceptible to that of anyone Kentucky has played, playing the second-fewest bench minutes in the nation. Of their starters, four play more than thirty minutes per game, with the fifth playing 26.2 minutes per game.

Look for the Cats to really push the pace. With 10-11 capable players to keep fresh legs on the court, Kentucky should handily be in control for the majority of the game.

Rebounding Battle

The Panther’s biggest strength is undoubtedly rebounding. Ranked top 100 in rebounds per game, Georgia State does have good size for a mid-major.

On the other side, Kentucky has won the rebounding battle by more than 10 boards per game over the last three since losing that battle to Duke. While Amari Williams is putting up Oscar Tshiebwe-esque rebounding numbers analytically, there is still room for improvement as a team.

Final ‘Tune-Up’

This will be Kentucky’s final ‘tune-up’ game before they hit the road to take on Clemson and Gonzaga next week, both ranked in the top 25 in KenPom.

Coming off a mediocre performance against Western Kentucky, a big win should inspire more confidence in fans and the players as they enter a tough two-game stretch. The game should also be an opportunity to potentially experiment with things to prepare for the contests.

One area Kentucky must clean up is turnovers, as they committed 11 vs. the Hilltoppers, four coming in the opening minutes.

Opposing Players to Watch

F Zarique Nutter 6-7, 210 lbs

• 16.2 PPG
• 3.2 APG
• 39.7% FG

G Toneari Lane 6-5, 205 lbs

• 16.2 PPG
• 40.8% 3P

F Nick McMullen 6-8, 235 lbs

• 9.5 PPG
• 10.7 RPG
• 54.8% FG

Kentucky Basketball vs. Georgia State Panthers

Time: 7:00 PM ET on November 29th, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
TV Channel: SEC Network
Announcers: John Schriffen and Richard Hendrix
Online Stream: ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens call the action on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | GSU
Stats to Know: UK | GSU
KenPom: UK | GSU
Team Sheet: UK | GSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check back later for an official spread. Bart Torvik (97%), EvanMiya (99.4%), KenPom (99%), and ESPN (98.1%) all give Kentucky at least a 97% chance of winning.

Predictions: KenPom (90-66), Haslametrics (94-70), Bart Torvik (93-66), and EvanMiya (95-64) all have Kentucky winning by 24+ points. I’m going with a 91-65 victory, Kentucky!

Be sure to send us your Kentucky vs. Georgia score predictions! And Go CATS!!

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

What a week it has been in College Basketball! More than a dozen teams in the Top 25 have suffered a loss, including ten teams to an unranked opponent. One of those being John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Taking on his former assistant at Kentucky, Orlando Antigua, who is now back at Illinois, Antigua was the one who got the last laugh. Literally.

As halftime neared, the Fighting Illini entered halftime with a 15-point lead over 19th-ranked Razorbacks Antigua looked to a family member on the bench with a smile.

Busted pic.twitter.com/QLRB3GnRcg— liv 🖤| your fav sports lovin swiftie (@bookishliv) November 28, 2024

The Illini retained control through the second half to get their first-ranked win of the season.

The loss will likely push Arkansas out of the rankings, while Kentucky is expected to move into the top five when the new rankings are released on Monday.