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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Kansas: Viewing Info and Keys to the Game

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© Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Kentucky Wildcats entered Allen Fieldhouse playing their best basketball of the season and walked out with an 18-point victory against the Kansas Jayhawks. This Saturday, Kentucky will once again play Kansas, and again playing their best basketball of the season.

Comparing both teams, the Wildcats most certainly have the momentum, currently riding a four-game winning streak. In their last win, coming against Vanderbilt on Tuesday, they may have played their most complete game of the year.

Whereas, the Jayhawks have lost three straight, tied for the longest losing streak under Bill Self. However, all three losses came against ranked opponents.

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With a revitalized Big Blue Nation, Rupp Arena is set to be rocking, hosting its first-ranked opponent this season. For the Wildcats, this game is a chance to prove that they have really turned the corner.

Let’s take a closer look at the game.

Get off to a Good Start

Even during their turnaround, one of Kentucky’s biggest weaknesses has been their poor starts. This is no fault for poor execution, as the Wildcats often miss open looks.

Fortunately, that has not been a strong suit of Kansas either. In many of their conference games, even their wins, the Jayhawks have gotten down double-digits early. It was inevitable that it would catch up to them and it has played a part in their losing streak.

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Over their last two games (Texas A&M and Vanderbilt), Kentucky has improved slightly in their starts, but they need to be more consistent. With that said, Kansas will not be short of motivation on Saturday, so a good start should be anticipated, and Kentucky must be ready to match them.

Win the Rebounding Battle

One of Kansas’ biggest weaknesses has been their rebounding, as in three of their four losses, the Jayhawks have been outrebounded. With no big man, they have had to rely on team rebounding to make up for being undersized.

This plays in Kentucky’s favor, as they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. With their new lineup, the team’s rebounding – especially Jacob Toppin – has been even better, averaging 38.3 rpg and outrebounding their opponent by more than 13 per contest over their four-game winning streak.

The area where Kentucky really needs to capitalize is on the offensive glass. On average, Kansas is giving up 9.1 rpg on a 73.2 defensive rebounding percentage. Even if it is an off-shooting night, Kentucky should be able to get extra scoring opportunities. It could be another big game for Oscar Tshiebwe.

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Limit Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick

Kansas may not have a true point guard or true center, but they have two of the best wings in college basketball in Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson. The two are the Jayhawks’ leading scorers and combine for 36.3 points per game.

What makes them so dangerous is their perimeter shooting, as the duo combines for five of Kansas’s eight made threes per game. However, Wilson is also an aggressive straight-line driver who could give Kentucky fits.

Against Vanderbilt, Kentucky forced their two best perimeter shooters into 1-5 from three, and that must carry over to the Kansas game. Toppin has defended well against some talented forwards, so expect him to guard Wilson – potentially Chris Livingston as well to provide some physicality – but CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves must also continue to maintain their level of defense against Gradey Dick.

Kentucky Basketball (14-6) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (16-4)

Time/Date: 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, January 28th, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: ESPN
Online Stream: WatchESPNESPN+, SEC Network+ or ESPN app
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | KU
Team SheetsUK | KU
Stats To Know: UK | KU

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Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release the game odds. This is a matchup where computer models differ greatly. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Kentucky a fair chance to win at 65.4 percent, but Bart Torvik has it at 43%, while KenPom is at 52%.

PredictionsBart Torvik picks the Wildcats to lose in a nail-biter, 71-69. KenPom has it as a 71-70 victory, Kentucky!

Also published on a Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

Arguably the centerpiece of last year’s team, Otega Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft… but that doesn’t mean he’s officially gone.

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Otega Oweh declares for the NBA Draft whilst maintaining his college eligibility.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Few players have taken the Big Blue Nation by storm like Otega Oweh did with his arrival this past season. A lot was new in Lexington last year, but #00 stuck out for a number of reasons; namely, his infectious energy on the court and the high odds that he was going to put an opponent on a poster on any given night.

Now, Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft. He made the announcement on social media, calling Kentucky fans the “best fans in the world.”

While this may seem dire for folks keeping tabs on next year’s roster, that last line in Oweh’s announcement is crucial: “…while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.” Essentially, Otega’s time in Lexington is far from over, at least for the time being.

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Whether or not “Tegatron” returns to Rupp will likely depend on what he hears during the draft process, and where exactly he wants to land. In the modern college basketball landscape, it’s become common practice for players to “test the waters” in the draft, just to get an idea as to where they stand with the league, before returning to college for another year of development.

Take, for example, Jaxson Robinson just last season. Before his eventual transfer to Kentucky, Robinson declared for the draft out of BYU, maintaining his eligibility, before pulling from the process in order to spend his senior year at Kentucky. It happens all the time.

While that doesn’t necessarily set Oweh’s return in stone, it at least gives the Big Blue Nation to take a breather and keep calm, as his departure is far from official. Either way, #00 is a Lexington legend whose first go-around in Kentucky blue was as memorable as anyone’s could be. The “Oweh, Oweh, Oweh” chants will go on regardless.

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Men's Basketball

Four Star Forward Visiting Kentucky Amidst Recruitment Rumors

Mark Pope is looking to close out a strong sophomore effort in the transfer portal, and this freshman guard may be the final piece.

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Four star guard Braydon Hawthorne is on a visit to Kentucky.
Braydon Hawthorne | WVU Athletics

As the transfer portal trucks on (and the NCAA races to find ways to regulate it), Mark Pope is looking to tie a bow on his already highly-ranked 2025-26′ roster. The latest potential addition becomes in the form of a freshman who, after pulling his commitment from West Virginia, will be on an official visit to Kentucky today, Wednesday, April 16.

Braydon Hawthorne, the 6’8″ forward at hand, is a lengthy, scoring wing with high upside on the offensive end. His 7’3″ wingspan opens opportunities for development on the defensive end, too – he’s an investment opportunity of the highest order. On3 currently has him at 48th on their ranking of 2025 recruits.

In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia (where Hawthorne is from), schools such as Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Marquette, Dayton, Old Dominion, Mount St. Mary’s, and more have thrown their hats into the ring, although the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky has the strongest pull/interest in the prospect for the time being.

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Whether or not that actually means he’ll be in blue and white is unfortunately unsure – as that’s how the transfer portal operates – but an in-person visit is a good indicator of mutual interest. Plus, with Kentucky “losing out” on Lamar Wilkerson, who committed to Indiana, a scoring spot in the back court remains open… and Hawthorne is a compelling candidate to fill it.

While Wildcats fans wait patiently for a potential commitment, all eyes are on Coach Cody Fueger’s X account for a trademark “boom” post.

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Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Announces Return To Kentucky For The 2025-26 Season

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Chet White | UK Athletics

Brandon Garrison isn’t going anywhere. 

The 6-foot-10 forward will be returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his junior season in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Garrison took to social media first, posting a story on his personal Instagram that showed a simple graphic reading the words “I’m back.”

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Speculation and rumors have swirled around the Oklahoma native all offseason, and with the addition of Andrija Jelavic, Big Blue Nation worried that Garrison would be hitting the portal sooner than later. 

Now, with his returning announcement public, Garrison will look to assert himself in the offseason as a dominant force that deserves the starting role.

Last season, he backed up Amari Williams, coming off of the bench and averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 17.3 minutes a night. 

It’s unclear if he’s guaranteed anything in regards to a starting spot. However, having played a year already in Mark Pope’s system, Garrison may get a nod for the role over one of the transfer pickups. 

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Pope and the coaching staff have been publicly confident in the development of “BG” and see him as a vocal leader on and off the court. 

With a full offseason ahead where he’ll be harnessing his skill set and bettering his game in any way possible, Kentucky fans will be glad that Garrison chose to stick around another year. 

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