Men's Basketball

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

Published

3 years ago

March 3, 2023

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Sheets: UK | 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.

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

Related Topics:Anthony Black Arkansas Nick Smith Jr Ricky Council

Men's Basketball

Kentucky’s Otega Oweh Selected No. 41 Overall in Second Round of the NBA Draft

Published

14 hours ago

June 24, 2026

Kai McClelland

Photo via Tristan Pharis

It’s sad to say goodbye to a superstar, a player who always had the ball in his hands when the clock ticked away, created countless memories and who’s name will always carry weight in any given conversation.

That superstar is Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, with his dream to play professional basketball coming true on the night of Wednesday, June 24.

Selected with the No. 41 overall pick, the Miami Heat originally had rights to Oweh but would quickly move him to the Oklahoma City Thunder via trade.

The New Jersey native was a standout player in the NBA Combine in May, leaving behind an impressive body of work at Kentucky with 1,255 career points as a Wildcat. Oweh will more than likely be a two-player under league contract, but members of the Big Blue Nation know very well that he’s the type of personality to fight his way to the top.

Joining former Wildcats Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace, Oweh will now be the third member of the team to go from the bluegrass to the bright lights of the NBA.

The 6-foot-5 guard is now Mark Pope’s fourth draft pick ever, joining teammates Koby Brea (No. 41, Suns, 2025), Amari Williams (No. 46, Celtics, 2025) and Jayden Quaintance (No. 20, Spurs, 2026).

Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Compares Justin McBride to Former Kentucky Star

Published

1 day ago

June 24, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Mark Pope says Justin McBride gives him "Julius Randle vibes." The James Madison transfer has shed 10+ lbs and is a Kentucky basketball early surprise.

UK Athletics

The Kentucky basketball team started practicing earlier this month, and one of the biggest surprise performers thus far has been James Madison transfer Justin McBride. One reason for that is the offseason work he has put in before arriving in Lexington.

McBride, who previously played for Oklahoma State, Nevada, and most recently, James Madison, is listed at 6’8 and 250 pounds on Kentucky’s roster list. Those listed numbers are bigger than any of his previous stops, but he is currently in the best shape of his career.

According to one source, McBride has lost 10-12 pounds of fat from his top playing weight at James Madison. That has allowed him to be more mobile in practice, a pleasant surprise to what the staff was expecting of him coming in.

Mark Pope had a comparison for McBride in a ‘Mark Pope vs. the Shot Clock’ segment on UK Sports Network.

“Julius Randle vibes, seriously,” Pope said.

Randle was the SEC Rookie of the Year and an All-American in his one season at Kentucky, so high praise for McBride. However, Pope is not comparing McBride to Randle in terms of talent, but in terms of style.

McBride grades excellent as a catch-and-shoot guy in analytics, shooting 40% from deep last season, an ability that Randle has shown in the NBA. Also similar to Randle, he can use his size to get to his spots in the paint and muscle his way for a rebound.

Having a bully-ball kind of player, who is also efficient from three-point range, is a welcome addition for a Kentucky program that has struggled with physicality in recent seasons.

Mark Pope vs. the Shot Clock ⏱️

Meet your 2026 @KentuckyMBB team in 30 seconds pic.twitter.com/NLexvGpySl— UK Sports Network (@UKSportsNetwork) June 23, 2026

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

Men's Basketball

Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance Drafted First Round by the San Antonio Spurs

Published

2 days ago

June 23, 2026

Kai McClelland

Brett Davis | IMAGN Images

It’s every kids dream to play professionally one day, let alone be able to play for the University of Kentucky on the way to the next level.

Although Jayden Quaintance’s time with the Wildcats ended anticlimactically, his NBA dreams have officially come true at just 18 years old.

The Cleveland, Ohio native began his collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devils, starting in all 24 games he played in. Before his unfortunate knee injury, Quaintance was good for nearly a nightly double-double, averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game to go along with 2.6 blocks a night.

He would transfer to Kentucky ahead of his sophomore season, making his first appearance on Dec. 20 against St. John’s. Finishing the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, many members of the Big Blue Nation were confident that their superstar had finally debuted.

Only appearing in three more games for the 2025-26 season, it was quite clear that his eyes were set on playing at the next level, not taking any chances of another injury.

Selecting Quaintance with the No. 20 overall pick, the Spurs have now added on to their elite front court and will likely utilize him as a two-way player. They drafted UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. just six picks later, proving that they plan to utilize some form of paint beast to go alongside superstar Victor Wembanyama.

Quaintance is Mark Pope’s first first-round pick in the NBA Draft ever, following Koby Brea and Amari Williams from Pope’s first season in the bluegrass, who both went early in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.