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Kentucky vs. Ohio State: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope and forward Andrew Carr (7) celebrate with forward Brandon Garrison.
Jordan Prather | IMAGN

The Kentucky Wildcats are off to the Big Apple in hopes of snagging an early Christmas present as they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CBS Sports Classic. Game time is set for approximately 5:30 PM ET this Saturday at Madison Square Garden on CBS, right after the North Carolina Tar Heels vs. UCLA Bruins matchup.

The Buckeyes are led by first-year head coach Jake Diebler, a former player who was promoted after Chris Holtmann was fired last season. The Buckeyes ended the season 8-3 under Diebler after a 14-11 start with Holtmann.

Now in his first full season, the Buckeyes have arguably the most inconsistent team in the country. In fact, according to TeamRankings, the Buckeyes are the fifth most inconsistent team in the country (Kentucky is actually 173rd, likely due to some of their sporadic performances vs. mid-majors).

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With wins over Texas and Rutgers, Ohio State has the talent to win. With three of their four losses coming by 14 or more points, including a 38-point loss to Auburn, they could lose big.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

3-Point Shooting

Kentucky just played one of the least efficient 3-point shooting teams in Louisville but will be tested with the opposite with Ohio State as the Buckeyes shoot nearly 41% from deep, ranked 10th nationally, on just 22 attempts per game.

Their three-point attack is led by their quartet of guards: John Mobley, Meechie Johnson, Brian Thornton, and Micah Parrish. Together, they account for 80% of the team’s three-point attempts.

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However, on Tuesday, it was announced that Johnson would be taking a leave of absence, which certainly hurts them. He’s also given Kentucky plenty of trouble, scoring 14 points in last year’s win over the Wildcats in Columbia. He scored 26 in the win at Kentucky during the 2022-23 season.

The Wildcats seemed to finally get out of their shooting slump against Louisville, shooting over 40% from deep for the first time since the Jackson State game on November 22nd.

However, that included a heroic 6/6 effort from Lamont Butler. Can the team sustain that level of shooting going forward?

Crash Offensive Glass

Ohio State has size, but despite that, they have been outrebounded in four of their six games against Power Six opponents. This includes all four of their losses.

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Kentucky averages eight rebounds more per game than the Buckeyes, but it’s the offensive glass where Kentucky could take advantage of most. More often than not, extra possessions with this Kentucky offense lead to more points.

We’ve seen plenty of games where Kentucky was beaten badly on the boards in the first half, only to patch things up out of the halftime break. Let’s see if Kentucky can put together a full game of rebounding well vs. a Power Six team.

Free Throws

As many shooters as there are on this Kentucky team, they have been very inconsistent from the free-throw line, especially of late. Shooting a mediocre 72.3% on the season, the Wildcats have shot below 65% in three of four games in December, the exception being the Gonzaga game.

Ohio State plays a physical brand of defense and commits more than 18 fouls per game. The Wildcats need to shoot 75% from the line. The poor free-throw shooting is starting to become a pattern, but it’s something you know Mark Pope and Co. are putting a lot of effort into fixing it.

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Hopefully, the Wildcats will respond with a much better outing in a neutral-court arena that’s similar to what they’ll see in March Madness.

Opposing Players to Watch

F Devin Royal 6-6. 220 lbs

  • 15.6 PPG
  • 7.9 RPG
  • 61.1% FG

G Bruce Thornton 6-2, 215 lbs

  • 14.8 PPG
  • 5.1 APG
  • 48.7% 3P

G John Mobley Jr. 6-1, 175 lbs

  • 12.1 PPG
  • 53.6% 3P
  • 71% of made shots have been 3P.

Kentucky Basketball (10-1) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-4)

Time: Approximately 5:30 PM ET on December 21st, 2024
Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
TV Channel: CBS
Online Stream: CBS Sports and the CBS Sports app
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and ESPN network of channels (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | OSU
Stats to Know: UK | OSU
KenPom: UK | OSU
Team Sheet: UK | OSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by 6.5 points with an over/under of 160.5 points. EvanMiya is the most confident in Kentucky at 82% percent in favor of the Wildcats to take down the Buckeyes. KenPom is just at 64%. Bart Torvik (72%) and ESPN (65.8%) fall in between.

Predictions: EvanMiya projects an 84-73 win. Haslametrics (81-75) and Bart Torvik (83-77) say a six-point victory. KenPom (82-78) projects the lowest margin of victory at just four points. I think the Cats will get the win in New York, so I’m predicting an 86-73 victory, Kentucky!

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How do you see this one going? Send us your Kentucky vs. Ohio State score predictions in the comments!

And Go CATS!!

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Men's Basketball

Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno Earn Conference Preseason Honors

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Photo via Chet White | UK Athletics

On Monday, Oct. 12, Kentucky’s Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno both earned All-SEC preseason honors, with the Iowa State transfer selected to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team and the returning sophomore selected to the Preseason All-SEC Third Team.

Momcilovic is entering his senior season with the Wildcats, looking to follow up his junior campaign after reigning as the undisputed best shooter in college basketball. He averaged 16.9 points per game last year, with his shooting splits reading 50.6/48.7/87.8.

Leading the Cyclones to a No. 2 seed and being selected to All-Big 12 Second Team, it’s safe to say that this isn’t the first time that Momcilovic has been left off of the top list, making the Kentucky superstar hungry to prove the haters wrong on a much larger stage.

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Moreno is returning for his sophomore season after earning All-SEC Freshman Team honors last year, looking to show the Big Blue Nation everything he learned throughout the draft process and that he has changed this summer.

The Kentucky native was thrown into the fire, earning 30 unexpected starts for the Wildcats. He developed as the season went on, ending the 2025-26 campaign averaging 7.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.

With both Momcilovic and Moreno as staple players on this year’s roster, the SEC has slated Mark Pope’s team to finish seventh in the conference this season, finishing behind Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Vanderbilt.

The full lists of the All-SEC Teams can be found below:

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First Team

  • Rueben Chinyelu (Florida)
  • Juke Harris (Tennessee)
  • Thomas Haugh (Florida)
  • Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State)
  • Tyler Tanner (Vanderbilt)

Second Team

  • Amari Allen (Alabama)
  • Alex Condon (Florida)
  • Milan Momcilovic (Kentucky)
  • Jordan Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
  • Matas Vokietaitis (Texas)

Third Team

  • PJ Haggerty (Texas A&M)
  • Malachi Moreno (Kentucky)
  • Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
  • David Punch (Texas)
  • Billy Richmond III (Arkansas)

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Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Shows Flashes in First NBA Preseason Appearances

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Photo via Getty Images

Former Kentucky standout Otega Oweh took another step in his basketball career on Tuesday night, making his NBA preseason debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder and taking on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Oweh came off of the bench and played 28 minutes, finishing with six points, six rebounds, two steals, one block and an assist. The former Wildcat struggled offensively, shooting only 3-of-9 from the field and missing all four of his free throw attempts.

Despite the shooting struggles, Oweh showed flashes of his defensive ability and physicality that made him a fan favorite during his two seasons in Lexington.

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The Pelicans escaped with a 116-110 win, leaving the Thunder with a 0-1 record. The next night wouldn’t draw a different result, with Oweh’s team losing by two and only playing the beloved superstar a total of 16 minutes.

Due to foul trouble, this would be the only minutes he would receive, ending the game with two points on three shots.

Oweh was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Thunder after averaging 18.6 points per game during his senior season at Kentucky, joining former Wildcats Cason Wallace and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Although his preseason debut wasn’t the offensive performance he might have hoped for, Oweh will have more than enough opportunities to prove himself as he looks to earn a role in a professional rotation.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Competes at Annual Pro Day Inside of Rupp Arena

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Photo via Marissa Gilchrist | UK Athletics

Kentucky held its annual Pro Day on Tuesday, Oct. 6, where NBA scouts were able to watch the team go through individual drills and a live game-like scrimmage. There are plenty of takeaways that stood out during the two hour practice. Let’s dive into it:

1.) Franck Kepnang Shows Off in the Paint

The first thing that stood out was transfer big man Franck Kepnang, with the seven-foot big from Washington dominating in the paint. Starting with the individual drills, he showed his size and ability to get downhill off of a pick-and-roll.

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The bigs went through a finishing through contact drill, and the new Wildcat seemed unfazed by the pads being pounded against him. With Moreno and Kepnang running the paint together, it will make it very difficult for opposing teams to stop both of them.

2.) Ousmane N’Diaye Has High-Scoring Performance

Overseas big Ousmane N’Diaye was another standout in front of the NBA scouts. In the first six-minute “quarter”, N’Diaye led all scorers with eight points.

He showed off his ability to score at all three levels, hitting multiple threes and also demonstrating his ability to score in the paint. N’Diaye wasn’t playing the five spot, which really allowed his team to stretch the floor and help with spacing.

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With Moreno, Kepnang, N’Diaye and Reece Potter all standing at seven-feet tall, Mark Pope has the opportunity to run a four-big lineup all while each player hones a different skillset. Having this much size will pay dividends come time for conference play.

3. The Forwards Do a Little Bit of Everything

A few other players who performed well were Milan Momcilovic and Braydon Hawthorne. Momcilovic played very unselfish during the inter-squad scrimmage, looking to first get his teammates involved and not forcing his game whatsoever.

He did hit a nice step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer in the second “quarter”, highlighting his 10-point performance. Hawthorne had some great looks from beyond the arc and did a phenomenal job getting his teammates open, driving and distributing the rock.

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He finished with six points and one assist.

Overall, the whole team appeared molded together and played as a unit rather than just isolation ball, which is a great sign in early October. There is no shortage of individual talent on this roster, and that was evident on Tuesday, with leaders and experience at every position.

The wait is almost over BBN. Kentucky will take the court in its first exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 16, when Little Rock comes into town. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will air live on SEC Network+.

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