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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Gonzaga: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

Published

10 months ago

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The Kentucky Wildcats and Gonzaga Bulldogs will face off in Rupp Arena in the second game of a six game series.
UK Athletics

Following a dominating “get right” victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Kentucky Wildcats return to Rupp Arena for their next challenge against the Gonzaga Bulldogs this Saturday.

In 2022, the two programs agreed to a six-year series which include two games at Rupp, two games in Spokane, and two neutral site games. After losing the first game of the series last season in Spokane, Kentucky will look to even it out this season. While it is still a quad one opportunity for Kentucky, just barely by four NET ranking spots, it is not the ranked battle that many thought it would be.

Over the last decade, Gonzaga has been one of the winningest programs in college basketball. A lot of that has to do with playing in the WCC, but they are not even leading their league this season, two games back from Saint Mary’s. Over the season, the Bulldogs have just three top 100 NET wins and no quad one wins.

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Gonzaga has put themselves as a bubble team, currently on the outside looking in. For Kentucky, this is the type of team that they will play in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. With March just on the horizon, it is a good test.

Let’s dive into the matchup.

Get Back in Transition

Gonzaga likes to play fast and excels in transition, averaging almost 21 points per game in that area. Most of the Bulldog’s transition opportunities don’t come off of turnovers, but off of defensive rebounds and hitting the outlet pass.

While playing fast plays in Kentucky’s favor on offense, they will need to get a few stops on the defensive end. This week Kentucky’s staff and players have talked about the effort needing to be better on the defensive end. Fortunately, sprinting back on defense is pure effort.

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Rebounding Battle

Gonzaga is one of the best rebounding teams that Kentucky will face the season, ranked 15th in the country in rebounds per game with nearly 40 per game. Their rebounding helps fuel their offense. As mentioned, they are really good and hitting the outlet pass off of defensive rebounds, but they also crash the offensive glass, grabbing a third of their misses.

Kentucky’s just outrebounded Vanderbilt 44-25, with a team effort. Let’s see if that can carry over to a more talented opponent.

Frontcourt

Kentucky’s frontcourt will be a big factor on both sides of the ball on Saturday. On offense, they will have some looks with Gonzaga’s three-quarter top coverage to deny entry. On defense, they will need to contain Anton Watson and Graham Ike, who combine for more than half of their offensive production.

With three seven-footers and Tre Mitchell, Kentucky has the versatility to throw multiple looks at Gonzaga. You could pull the bigs out with Zvonimir Ivisic or Aaron Bradshaw to create more space on offense, or put in Ugonna Onyenso to anchor the defense and provide a post presence.

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Opposing Players to Watch

F Anton Watson 6-8, 228 lbs

  • 14.5 PPG
  • 7.7 RPG
  • 2.6 APG
  • 42.4% 3P

G Ryan Nembhard 6-0, 175 lbs

  • 12.5 PPG
  • 5.8 APG (25th in nation)
  • 3.7 RPG

G Nolan Hickman 6-2, 183 lbs

  • 13.0 PPG
  • 50% of shot attempts have been 3P

Kentucky Basketball vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

  • Time: 4:00 PM EST
  • Date: February 10th, 2024
  • Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
  • TV Channel: SEC Network
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | ZAG
  • Stats to Know: UK | ZAG
  • KenPom: UK | ZAG
  • Team Sheet: UK | ZAG
  • Odds: No DraftKings spread just yet, so check back Friday evening. ESPN’s matchup predictor is confident in the Cats, giving them a 70.3% chance of victory. The rest of the projections give Kentucky the edge, but are not as confident. EvanMiya is at 56%, while BartTorvik is at 64%. KenPom sits at 60%
  • Predictions: The projections are anticipating a close game. Bart Torvik is picking the Cats to win 87-83. Haslametrics and EvanMiya both have Kentucky winning by just two points, 85-83. KenPom projects an 85-82 victory for Kentucky.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

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

Published

2 hours ago

on

November 22, 2024

By

Kentucky players encouraging each other at Rupp Arena.
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Friday to face the Jackson State Tigers in the second game of the BBN Invitational.

To put it simply, Jackson State is bad, very bad. Sitting at 0-5 and ranked 321st in KenPom, the Tigers will likely be the worst opponent Kentucky will play all season.

Coached by Mo Williams, one of LeBron James’ old teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tigers have only finished above .500 twice in the last decade. This season, Jackson State is predicted to finish fourth in the SWAC.

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Mark Pope recently said he wanted to build a standard, regardless of opponent and, and that will be tested on Friday.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

More 3-Point Attempts

Admittedly nitpicking, one of the things that Mark Pope was not happy with in Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb was the amount of three-point attempts. While they shot nearly 50 percent from deep, going 12-25, Pope wants to see the number of attempts closer to 35.

The Tigers have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in the country. Pope and the staff will certainly generate a game plan to take advantage of this. Expect to see 30+ attempts.

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Ball Movement

Despite beating Lipscomb by 29 points, the Wildcats had a season-low in assists with just ten. For context, Kentucky had averaged more than 23 assists per game entering the matchup.

“That’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Pope said after the game.

While there wasn’t a lot of selfishness, the ball just wasn’t ‘flying’ as it has been early this season. This is a priority for the staff and this mature group, and they will aim for 25+ assists.

Keep JSU off the Free-Throw Line

Jackson State ranks in the top 100 nationally in one area: Free throws made per game. So, Kentucky, defend without fouling.

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Kentucky’s offense makes headlines, but the defense has played very well to start the season, holding all four opponents to under 73 points. Let’s see if they can get down in a stance and defend well for 40 minutes vs. a team that stresses contact and drawing fouls.

Opposing Players to Watch

C Shannon Grant 6-11, 290 lbs

  • 7.5 PPG
  • 4.8
  • Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection

G Jayme Mitchell Jr 6-5, 190 lbs

  • 15.0 PPG
  • 3.8 RPG
  • 44.4% 3P

F Romelle Mansel 6-9, 220 lbs

  • 10.8 PPG
  • 5.8 RPG
  • 31.7% FG (second most FG attempts on the team)

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball vs. Jackson State Tigers

Time: 7 PM ET on November 22nd
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,
Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | JSU
Stats to Know: UK | JSU
KenPom: UK | JSU
Team Sheet: UK | JSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check Thursday afternoon for an official spread. Multiple projections give Kentucky a 99% chance of winning: Bart Torvik (99%), EvanMiya (99.9%), and ESPN (99.0%). The exception is KenPom (92%).

Predictions: KenPom (93-63), Haslametrics (96-63), Bart Torvik (95-61), and EvanMiya (96-59) all are going with a 30+ point victory, Kentucky!

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

Published

4 days ago

on

November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
IMAGN

The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

Published

6 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
IMAGN

John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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