Connect with us

Men's Basketball

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

Published

on

Kentucky Wildcats forward Justin Edwards celebrating with fans as he walks off the court.
Photo by Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats will look to end 2023 with a victory as they play host to Illinois State on Friday night. Game time is set for 7:00 pm ET on the SEC Network.

After more than a week off and nearly a month since they last played in Rupp Arena, the Wildcats take the court in what will be deemed The Antonio Reeves Game against his former school in Illinois State.

Historically, Illinois State is not a very prestigious program, last making the tournament in 1998. However, they are on pace for their first winning record since 2019 under second-year coach Ryan Pedon.

Advertisement

This will be just the second time the two programs have played, the first of which took place in 2015 as Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray led the Wildcats to a 75-63 victory, a game Tyler Ulis missed with an elbow injury.

Here’s what you need to watch for in this Friday night affair.

Speed Up The Game

One marquee characteristic of this Kentucky team is to play fast. Averaging nearly 80 possessions per game, they rank 14th in the country in doing just that.

However, Illinois State plays at a much more deliberate pace. In fact, they will play at the slowest pace Kentucky has faced so far this season at under 70 possessions per game.

Advertisement

The Wildcats will naturally look to push the pace with quick ball movement. However, they will also look to create quick scoring opportunities off rebounds, which has improved greatly since Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso have returned from injury.

Force Turnovers

This leads to the next point, force turnovers. This is one of the best ways to push the pace in a game and create transition opportunities.

Unfortunately for Illinois State, they are not great at taking care of the ball. They currently rank 243rd nationally in turnovers per game (13.2) and 290th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.83).

While this Kentucky team has not been great defensively, they generate steals among the best in the country, averaging 9.2 per game, ranking 24th in the nation.

Advertisement

That combination should allow for the Wildcats to be aggressive and look to get into passing lanes and get some easy points.

Justin Edwards Consistency

It is no secret that for much of the season, Justin Edwards has not lived up to the high expectations that many had set for him.

Coming to Lexington as the top recruit in Kentucky’s No. 1 2023 recruiting class, Edwards is now playing the fifth most minutes on the team and has played less than 15 minutes in two of the last three games.

For weeks, the staff has talked about the work he is putting in and it being just a matter of time before having his breakout game. Against Louisville, Edwards didn’t have his breakout game but did have one of his best games at Kentucky with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Advertisement

Now with Bradshaw and Oyenso back, Edwards has looked more comfortable. If he can find and show some consistency, this Kentucky team’s ceiling can be raised even higher.

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Illinois State Redbirds

  • Date: December 29th, 2023
  • Time: 7:00 pm ET
  • Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, KY
  • TV Channel: SEC Network
  • Announcers: Kevin Fitzgerald and Daymeon Fishback
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | ISU
  • Stats to Know: UK | ISU
  • KenPom: UK | ISU
  • Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has not released odds for the game yet. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Kentucky a 94.9% chance of victory. Bart Torvik and EvanMiya are at 96% and 96.8%, respectively. KenPom is at 96%. Kentucky has covered the spread seven times in 11 games this season, while Illinois State is 6-5 vs. the spread.
  • PredictionsBart Torvik picks Kentucky to win 85-64. Haslametrics hat it at 84-65 for BBN. EvanMiya projects a 77-57 Cats win. KenPom is going with an 84-64 victory, Kentucky!

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Commit Impesses at McDonald’s All-American Game

Published

on

Kentucky basketball commit Malachi Moreno is a McDonald's All American
McDonald's All-American Game

Fresh off of winning a Kentucky Basketball State Championship Saturday night, Malachi Moreno had no time to rest. After winning the State Championship, Moreno flew out the morning after to Brooklyn.

Just a few short months ago, Moreno was selected to participate in the McDonald’s All-American game. Being chosen to play in this game is considered the highest honor a high school basketball player can achieve. However, he wasn’t content with just being chosen to play in this game. He wanted to show everyone that he belongs in this crowd with the best of the best.

Playing against the elite of the elite, there was never a moment in which Moreno looked as if he didn’t belong. Although Moreno and Team East didn’t come away with a victory, he looked nothing short of impressive all night long.

Advertisement

In only 16 minutes of game time, Moreno finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. He also added 2 blocked shots on the game. Moreno, who is listed at 6’10, moves very well for his size. He has an elite feel around the rim, which is tough to find for a young big man like himself. However, his best attribute may be his shot blocking ability, as shown here.

Moreno is a very gifted shot-blocker who has a knack for timing his jump when blocking shots. This will help him fill a much-needed role next season for a Kentucky team that at times struggled defensively, more specifically with blocking shots.

His night didn’t end there, he also showcased his ability to step outside and shoot the 3 ball.

He only attempted 11 3’s during his Senior High School season, finishing at 3/11 for 27.3%, but he proves here that if left open. He won’t hesitate to let it fly.

Advertisement

At the practices, On3 named him their second-best performer.

“Malachi Moreno flew to the McDonald’s All-American events this morning straight off winning a Kentucky state championship last night. This scrimmage was his first participation of the week, and he made his presence felt immediately. Moreno has legit size, listed at 7-foot-0, with good length. He also has good hands, which helps his play around the basket. Moreno is a strong rebounder, cleaning up the boards in traffic. He also had a game-clinching block at the rim, putting it off the backboard. Offensively, he plays as a roll man and out of the dunker spots. It found his spots and played within himself, and he had some very loud finishes.

Moreno is one of three exciting freshmen joining the Wildcats next season; alongside him are 4-stars Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis. These three highlight an exciting new young core for Mark Pope and company.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

BB Recruiting

Kentucky Has Contacted Nation’s Leading Scorer, Four-Star Transfer Jaron Pierre Who Is “Definitely” Interested in the Cats

Published

on

Jacksonville State transfer Jaron Pierre has been contacted by Kentucky.
Jacksonville State Athletics

There are more than a thousand players in the transfer portal, meaning names are flying left and right. As of April 1st, Kentucky has one commitment in Kam Williams (Tulane), and is projected to land top 25 transfer Magoon Gwath (San Diego State).

That said, the Kentucky staff has been in contact with more than a dozen players, and there is another notable player to add to that list.

KY Insider can report that Kentucky has contacted Jaron Pierre from Jacksonville State. Pierre is currently a four-star transfer prospect and ranked as the 34th ranked prospect in 247Sports‘ transfer portal rankings.

Advertisement

At Jacksonville State last season, Pierre scored more points than anyone else in college basketball (777 points), averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range (9.0 attempts per game). He scored 30 points or more in six games, and only had one game where he did not score in double digits. His impressive play earned him Conference USA Player of the Year honors.

Pierre also had prior stops at Southern Miss and Wichita State, where he spent two years at each school, and will be going into his sixth season of college basketball. Pierre has also declared for the NBA Draft, but is not currently projected on any mock drafts.

While still early in his recruitment, Pierre tells KY Insider that he is “definitely” interested in Kentucky, but no Zoom meeting or visit has been scheduled.

“I love it Big Blue Nation,” Pierre said of the Kentucky program. He also really liked what Mark Pope was able to do in his first season in Lexington. “He was able to pick up right where it left off.”

Advertisement

The level of competition is always a question when evaluating a mid-major talent, but Pierre’s athleticism jumps off the page and a 38.2% clip from three on nine attempts per game is nothing to slight at.

Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Receives Predictions for 7-Foot, Top 25 Transfer Magoon Gwath

Published

on

7-footer Magoon Gwath, a top 25 transfer prospect, is predicted to commit to Kentucky.
San Diego State Aztecs

Magoon Gwath, the 7-foot freshman from San Diego State, has received a crystal ball to Kentucky. No, ladies and gentlemen, this is not an April Fools prank.

Gwath entered the transfer portal on Mar. 24 after he averaged 8.5 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 2.6 blocks per game for the Aztecs. His play earned him Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors in the Mountain West Conference. Kentucky was one of the first schools to contact Gwath, and Lamont Butler is even reported to be helping recruit Gwath to Kentucky.

At approximately 12 p.m. on April 1st, Travis Branham, a 247Sports Basketball Analyst, awarded the big man with a crystal ball prediction that has Gwath becoming a Wildcat. On3’s Joe Tipton has also chimed in, following Branham’s prediction and mentioning Michigan as a top destination as well. 

Advertisement

This isn’t a guess, this is a calculated report. Now, Mark Pope and his staff will await the decision of Gwath in the coming days.

According to 247Sports transfer rankings, Gwath is the No. 22 transfer portal player in the country, ranking fourth among centers. The class of 2023 recruit was unranked, and due to a foot injury, was redshirted for the 2023-24 season.

With a 7-foot, 205-pound frame, Gwath needs to fill out some to help with his strength. However, he is an elite shot-blocker with good defensive instincts. On the offensive side, he has good vision for his size, which Mark Pope loves, and is comfortable putting the ball on the deck with his face-up game.

With the departure of Amari Williams and Andrew Carr in the frontcourt, the addition of Gwath would be major for the Pope and the Wildcats.

Advertisement

Get familiar with Gwath’s game BBN.

Continue Reading

Trending