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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs Arkansas Round 2: TV/Streaming Info and Keys to the Game

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© Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Wednesday, the Kentucky Wildcats had the opportunity to secure the 3-seed and a double-bye in next week’s SEC Tournament. However, they lost to a hot Vanderbilt team that has now won seven of their last eight games.

The Wildcats still have that same opportunity, but this time on the road and against a tougher opponent, the Arkansas Razorbacks. The two teams faced off earlier in February, with Arkansas coming out on top after a dominant second-half performance.

The matchup will look a bit different this time as the Razorbacks have returned their highly touted freshman, Nick Smith Jr. After not playing for nearly two months due to injury, it seems that the projected lottery pick has found his footing, averaging 18 points per game over his last four games.

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With Smith back on the roster Arkansas has shown that they are one of the most talented teams in the SEC, nearly beating an Alabama team that is seen as a favorite for the National Title. A loss on Saturday doesn’t necessarily hurt Kentucky, but a win would give them another quad-one victory for their resume, helping their case for a higher tournament seed.

Let’s take a closer look.

Force Arkansas Out of the Paint

Arkansas has great athletes and because of that, they are very aggressive in trying to get to the rim. In fact, two of their three leading scorers – Anthony Black and Ricky Council – shoot 33 percent or less from three, but shoot over 50 percent from two.

While Arkansas is capable of hitting the three, they have not done so consistently, and shoot one of the worst marks in the country (32.1%). Furthermore, The Razorbacks have only made more than eight threes once this season.

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For these reasons, Kentucky will need to go under most screens – unless it is Davonte Davis – and stay in between their man and the basket, something they struggled to do in their first matchup. This will limit Arkansas’ main source of offense, if they have a season-best shooting night, that’s something you live with.

Win the Rebounding Battle

One of Kentucky’s best strengths has been their rebounding. The Wildcats have been outrebounded by their opponent only three times this season, but all resulted in losses.

While winning the rebounding battle doesn’t guarantee a win, it has been a big factor in Kentucky’s success, especially in offensive rebounding and second-chance points. Since their turnaround with the win at Tennessee, the Wildcats have outrebounded their opponent by nearly 10 rebounds per game (9.5).

In their earlier matchup, the Wildcats actually outrebounded Arkansas 31-26. However, if you look deeper, most of those rebounds came in the first half where Kentucky had a 16-10 advantage and the scoreboard displayed a close game, 41-40. In the second half, Kentucky was outrebounded 16-15, which isn’t terrible but they were limited to just five second-chance points, and Arkansas outscored Kentucky 47-33.

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To give themselves a shot to win, Kentucky must win the rebounding battle, but they also need to convert on their second-chance opportunities, especially if they shoot as badly as they did against Vanderbilt.

Transition Defense

One of the areas where Arkansas succeeded most in their first matchup against Kentucky is in their transition offense. One reason for this is their aforementioned athleticism, reminiscent of some of Kentucky teams in the past.

With that said, 15 turnovers isn’t ideal, which is how many Kentucky committed in their first matchup. These turnovers led to a good portion of their 20 fastbreak points. Therefore, taking care of the ball and taking good shots would be Kentucky’s best ‘defense’.

The Wildcats will need to do their best to sprint back on every possession, which may be difficult given Kentucky’s depth concerns.

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Kentucky Wildcats (20-10) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (19-11)

Time/Date: 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, March 2nd, 2023
Location: Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
TV Channel: CBS
Online Stream: CBSSports Online
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: Check local listings.
Rosters: UK | ARK
Team SheetsUK | ARK
Stats To Know: UK | ARK

Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to. ESPN’s matchup predictor was the Wildcats an underdog, giving them just a 30.7 % chance. However, Bart Torvik’s are similar, giving Kentucky just a 28% chance.

PredictionsBart Torvik picks the Wildcats to put up a fight, but ultimately lose 75-69.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky and Indiana Basketball Renew Rivalry With Four-Year Series, Begins in 2025-26

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Kentucky Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers have renewed their college basketball rivalry series starting in 2025.
Woodson: © Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports | Calipari: © Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

From 1969 to 2011, Kentucky and Indiana basketball faced off nearly every year for a non-conference matchup in December, a schedule staple for both teams. After over 40 seasons, the annual matchup was not renewed beyond 2011, following the infamous Christian Watford shot to beat No. 1 Kentucky at Assembly Hall, resulting in a court storm by Indiana fans.

Since that game, John Calipari has been open to resuming the Indiana series but has vowed that he will not play in Assembly Hall citing “disrespect” of his players (there are allegations you can research for yourself).

On Tuesday, it was announced that Kentucky and Indiana will resume the series in an agreement that all parties have approved of. For John Calipari and Kentucky, two of the four games will be played at Rupp Arena. For Indiana, they will have one neutral site game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, but also one home game at Assembly Hall in 2028.

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But wait, I thought Calipari would never play at Assembly Hall? That is correct, given that it is five seasons away, Calipari will likely be retired by then. However, that is the last year of his contract, so there is technically a possibility of coaching one more game in Assembly, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Here are the dates and locations of each game:

  • Dec. 20th, 2025 – IU @ UK – Rupp Arena
  • Dec. 27th, 2026 – UK vs. IU – Lucas Oil Stadium
  • Dec. 18th, 2027 – IU @ UK – Rupp Arena
  • Dec. 16th, 2028 – UK @ IU – Assembly Hall

Since their last regular season matchup, Kentucky and Indiana have met twice in the NCAA Tournament (2012 and 2016), splitting the two games. For the entire series, the Wildcats hold a 32-25 advantage, and they will look to extend that soon.

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BB Recruiting

John Calipari Visits Trio of Top Recruits

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UK Athletics

With less than two weeks until Big Blue Madness, the start of the Kentucky basketball season is just around the corner. Ahead of a season with a lot of pressure, John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcat staff were busy on the recruiting trail in New York to start the week.

The day started off with taking a visit to see 2024 combo guard Boogie Fland. This being the fourth in-person visit to Fland over the last three weeks, it is clear that he is a top priority for the Cats and that is reciprocated as Fland listed the Wildcats in his top three last week along with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Indiana Hoosiers. Fland is expected to make a decision in the early signing period, which begins on November 8th.

With that said, coverage of Fland’s recruitment has been well-reported, but while in New York, Calipari paid a visit to two more top recruits, VJ Edgecombe and Alier Maluk who both play for Long Island Lutheran (NY).

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VJ Edgecombe

Edgecombe is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the 2024 class. As of March this year, he was ranked outside of the Top 100, fast forward to now and he is a consensus top 10 prospect and considered to be the No. 2 shooting guard in the class. When you see his explosive athleticism, catch-and-shoot ability, and natural basketball instincts it is easy to see why.

Watching closely for a while, the Wildcats extended an offer last month, a month and a half after Edgecombe trimmed his list to ten. While late to the party, Kentucky is not giving up and joins the likes of Alabama, Duke, St. Johns, and G-League Ignite among others in pursuit of the talented guard.

Alier Maluk

Early this summer Alier Maluk was considered a top-25 prospect, but following the grassroots season Maluk dropped in the rankings to just inside the top 50. That said, that isn’t stopping the Wildcats from still showing interest as they have since he was 15 years old, and for good reason, Maluk is one of the most intriguing big men in the class.

At 6-foot-10, 180 pounds, Maluk is a dynamic two-way prospect and can be looked at as a “modern” big man. Well-known for his shot-blocking and rim-running ability, Maluk is also capable of shooting off the catch and the dribble. That said, his handle needs some development as he hopes to continue to develop as a stretch-four. That said, height and skill run in the family as Maluk is the cousin of 7-foot-2 center Bol Bol, who currently plays in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns.

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It should be noted that Kentucky has yet to extend an offer to Maluk, who currently holds offers from Florida, Ohio State, and Oregon among others.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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BB Recruiting

John Calipari Looking To Close Deal On Five-Star Guard Boogie Fland

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John Calipari is looking to close the deal and get a commitment from five-star guard Boogie Fland.
Fland: © Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK | Calipari: UK Athletics/Chet White

One of the top players in the class, top-ranked guard Boogie Fland has begun taking his visits, and is still taking time with his recruitment, but John Calipari and Kentucky are making a hard push to get the star guard locked up.

Fresh off of a visit to Kentucky a few weeks ago, Fland also had an in-home visit conducted by John Calipari last week after Kentucky watched him at Archbishop Stepinac in New York. On Monday, Calipari and Orlando Antigua paid him another visit. Kentucky is making sure he knows that he is the top priority among guards in the class of 2024.

Along with his visit to Lexington, Fland recently visited Alabama. The two schools are part of Fland’s final three schools along with Indiana as he nears closer to a decision.

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Fland is known to be one of the more elite scorers in the class with an ability to score from all three levels, and Kentucky is making him a top priority. Four visits in three weeks show that the staff really likes him and are looking to close the deal.

Take a look at this mic’d up highlight video of the potential future Wildcat to get to know him and his game.

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