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

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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.

BB Recruiting

Top 25 Transfer Otega Oweh Commits to Kentucky

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Oklahoma Sooners transfer Otega Oweh has comitted to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Following Lamont Butler’s commitment to Kentucky on Friday, the Wildcats have received another commitment less than 24 hours later. This time Oklahoma transfer Otega Oweh, he announced on his social media.

This comes after Oweh visited Lexington earlier this week, with reports coming out that his recruitment could be wrapped up quickly after.

Oweh is a top 25 transfer according to 247Sports, 38th by EvanMiya, and 55th by ESPN. Listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, Oweh is a strong and physical guard. His strength and athleticism have been a strength dating back to high school, which allows him to impact the game defensively, and also to get to the rim and thrive in transition opportunities.

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In two years at Oklahoma, the area that Oweh has significantly improved in has been his shooting. As a freshman, he shot just 25 percent from three, on just four attempts for the season, to 37.7 percent as a sophomore, making 20 of his 53 attempts. Most of that success comes from catch-and-shoot opportunities, where he rates in the 87th percentile. His ability to shoot off the dribble is the polar opposite, rating in just the 4th percentile.

Oweh is a two-way player with two years of eligibility remaining, while he will bring experience, there is still room for development with NBA upside. While he may not be a primary option, he’s certainly a player that can impact the game.

Oweh is now Kentucky’s third addition from the transfer portal and sixth player overall. A handful of top transfers are visiting, or currently visiting, Kentucky this weekend. The staff is hopeful a few join the roster.

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BB Recruiting

REPORT: San Diego State Transfer Lamont Butler Commits to Kentucky

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San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler has committed to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Amidst anxiety from many of the Big Blue Nation, the Kentucky basketball program has added another player to the roster. On Friday Lamont Butler, a consensus top-60 transfer from San Diego State, committed to Kentucky, reported by On3.

Kentucky has been in contact with Butler since he entered the portal earlier this week. On Friday morning, four members of the Kentucky staff took a visit to Las Vegas, which we know now was to see Butler. It was enough to secure his commitment.

Coming out of a high school as a three-star prospect, Butler has been a true case of development. In four seasons with San Diego State, he improved his numbers year after year. As a three-year starter for the Aztecs, Butler averaged 7.7 points (41.2% FG), 2.6 assists, and 2.3 rebounds. He also received Mountain West All-Defense honors three straight seasons, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this past year.

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Butler was a star for the San Diego State team that made it to the National Championship game in 2023, even hitting the buzzer-beater to send them to the title game. He will provide Kentucky with proven experience and the knowledge of what it takes to win.

As his defensive accolades show, Butler makes his biggest impact on the defensive side of the ball. However, he plays well within a system and is a really good passer for a guard who plays primarily off the ball, with a 21 percent assist rate. He also grades fairly well analytically on spot-up shots and in pick-and-roll situations as the ball handler.

With Butler on the roster, there are still many spots to fill, especially some spots for “dudes”. Fortunately, many big names are expected to be in Lexington this weekend for the visit.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky to Host Multiple Top Transfers This Weekend

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Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are hosting multiple top transfers this weekend for visits, looking to add to their roster.

With the deadline for players to enter the portal coming up on May 1st, Kentucky nearly has all their options on the table. Now two weeks since taking the job, Mark Pope has expressed interest in nearly two dozen names and has been keying in on some top names in the portal.

As of writing this article, top 25 transfer Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), is currently on a visit to Lexington, with three more players set to visit this weekend. There’s a good chance that some of those visits turn into commitments.

Let’s take a look at those names.

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Deivon Smith – Guard, Utah

Physicals: 6’0, 173 lbs
Stats: 13.3 PPG, 7.1 APG, 6.3 RPG, 46.% FG, 40.8% 3P
Ranking: 10th (Evan Miya), 38rd (247Sports)

Kentucky has had just three players record a triple-double in program history. Deivon Smith recorded five triple-doubles this past season alone, the second-most all-time for a single season in NCAA history.

While undersized, he is one of the best all-around guards in the country, as his numbers show. It’s still early, but Kentucky getting the first visit is significant. St. John’s and Texas Tech have also been mentioned here.

Andrej Stojaković – Guard, Stanford

Physicals: 6’7, 190 lbs
Stats: 7.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 40.9% FG, 32.7% 3P
Ranking: 183rd (Evan Miya), 51st (247Sports)

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Stojakovic is the son of former NBA All-Star, Peja Stojakovic. A familiar name for Kentucky fans from his high school recruitment. Stojakovic is a terrific shooter, and a top-25 recruit in the 2023 class.

On Thursday, Stojakovic cut his list to just three schools: California, UNC, and Kentucky. As a West Coast product, California was a school that showed interest when he was in high school, and so did Mark Pope when he was at BYU. Pope has made Stojakovic a priority, he could seal the deal this weekend.

Aidan Mahaney – Guard, Saint Mary’s

Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.6 APG, 38.6% FG, 35.5% 3P
Ranking: 96th (Evan Miya), 14th (247Sports)

One of the best guards in the portal. As a lead guard for Saint Mary’s, he displayed a good sense of playing under control, setting himself up and others. That said, his numbers were rather inefficient as the primary scoring option for the Gaels and shooting more than half of his shots from three. There are concerns about his playing against bigger guards.

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Mahaney visited UConn Thursday and it looks to be a race between Creighton, Virginia, UConn, and Kentucky.

Andrew Carr – Forward, Wake Forest

Physicals: 6-11, 230 lbs
Stats: 13.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 52.6% FG, 37.1% 3P
Ranking: 33rd (Evan Miya), Not Listed (247Sports)

A near 7-footer who is efficient and can stretch the floor, shooting over 37 percent from three, is a player that Mark Pope would love to add to his roster. That describes Andrew Carr who has played two years at each Delaware and Wake Forest and is looking to go elsewhere for his last season of eligibility.

Carr is coming off a visit to Texas Tech and will visit Villanova after he visits Lexington this weekend.

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