Men's Basketball
Kentucky vs. Michigan in London; TV Info and Things to Know
Published
2 years agoon
The Kentucky Wildcats did not have the most ideal November, exiting the first month of the season with a 5-2 record, with both losses coming against their only two ranked teams. Leaving fans with some disappointment.
This was not helped by a poor offensive showing against Bellarmine on Tuesday. However, the Wildcats have an opportunity to redeem themselves as they play a preseason Top 25 team in the Michigan Wolverines in London this Sunday.
Also sitting at 5-2, Michigan has losses to Arizona State and most recently No. 3 Virginia, showing their inconsistency. Thus far, the Wolverines look like a team that plays to their opponent, as they have just a 6-point average margin of victory, so don’t be surprised by a close game.
This is a big test for both sides. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup.
Look to solve rotation issues
Rotation issues have been there from the beginning of this season, but the Wildcats are seven games in and it doesn’t appear to have gotten any better.
In the first half of the Bellarmine game, there were times there were three non-shooters in at the same time, which allowed the Knights to pack the paint against Tshiebwe and forced bad shots and turnovers. With this being Kentucky’s point of emphasis on offense in the first half, they scored just 21 points.
In the second half, most lineups included two shooters which opened up the floor as they made five threes on 45 percent shooting, and shot 56 percent from the field in general. The heralded Wallace-Fredrick-Reeves-Toppin-Tshiebwe lineup even got some run with good results.
With that said, Kentucky has depth to work with. While some players need to step up, the coaching staff has the responsibility of finding lineups that allow players to play toward their strengths and benefit the team. That doesn’t include “two-big” or “non-shooting” lineups.
Will length bother Oscar Tshiebwe?
Last season, Oscar Tshiebwe was undoubtedly the most dominant player in college basketball. Hence why he was the unanimous National Player of the Year. Yet, he did struggle at times, especially against length.
Three of Tshiebwe’s lesser performances last year came against Alabama, Auburn, and Western Kentucky. What did these teams have in common? They all had bigs that were at least 7 feet tall and could block shots.
Despite his 6-foot-9, 260-pound frame, Tshiebwe is taken out of his game a bit when playing against that kind of length. In the three aforementioned games, Tshiebwes’s averages went from 17.4 points and 60.6 percent shooting from the field to just 13.3 points and 45.9 percent, as he was forced to extend his game to the mid-range and forced inside shots at times.
Michigan has their own 7-foot-big (7-foot-1 to be exact) that will match up against Tshiebwe, Hunter Dickinson. The Wolverine big is one of the best shot blockers in the country, averaging 2.3 per contest, and allows his matchup to shoot just over 40 percent from the field this season.
Tshiebwe has yet to play against this type of player this season, and it will be interesting to see how he handles it on Sunday.
Which version of Michigan will Kentucky play?
Ranked as the No. 22 team in the preseason, Michigan has the talent of a Top 25 team, but they have been inconsistent this season.
Just this past Tuesday, the Wolverines pushed No. 3 Virginia to the end, only losing 70-68. However, they have struggled against lesser opponents like Eastern Michigan and Ohio, and lost in an 87-62 blowout to Arizona State.
The biggest variances in their performances are their poor defense and inconsistent scoring.
On the defensive end, the Wolverines have taken a step back from where they have been. Ranked as the fourth most efficient defense in 2021 by KenPom, Michigan is ranked just 87th this season. While Dickinson can block shots, opponents haven’t struggled to get to the rim or get shots off in general, with Michigan ranked toward the bottom of the country in field goal attempts allowed.
On the offensive side of the ball, Michigan has just two players that average double-figures, Hunter Dickinson and Jett Howard. Outside of these two players, the Wolverines’ production has been inconsistent, but when they are provided ample help they can compete with anyone in the country, as seen in the Virginia game.
Kentucky Basketball vs. Michigan Wolverines
Time/Date: 1 pm ET on Sunday, December 4th
Location: The O2 Arena in London, England
TV Channel: ABC
Live Online Stream: WatchESPN, ESPN+, SEC Network+ or ESPN app
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | UM
Team Sheets: UK | UM
Stats To Know: UK | UM
Odds: The official point spread has yet to be released, but the computer models are confident in the Wildcats. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Kentucky a 86% chance of winning, and Bart Torvik has it at 75%.
Predictions: Bart Torvik picked the Cats to win 75-68.
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Men's Basketball
The Best and Worst of The Wildcats Ahead of Conference Play
What must the Wildcats do to improve ahead of their rigorous conference schedule?
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Published
2 days agoon
December 23, 2024The state of the Southeastern Conference in men’s basketball this year is unlike any year in recent memory. With three teams in the top five (for now,) and eight in the AP top 25, the SEC accounts for about one-third of the current nationally ranked teams. The next closest conference tallies just over half that number, with five ranked teams from the Big 10. Put plainly, the SEC is the best conference in college basketball.
So how do the fourth-ranked Wildcats stack up? Well, following a 20-point loss to unranked Ohio State on a neutral floor, they’ll definitely drop out of the top five. But this loss isn’t the first, last, or only game that the Cats will play this year, although it may feel that way right now.
Sharing the Wealth
At 10-2 with signature wins over Duke and Gonzaga, there are significant positives and negatives on both sides of the ball that should paint a relatively clear picture regarding the upcoming conference gauntlet that the team is set to face.
Perhaps the most reassuring aspect of this year’s unit is the ability to move and, at times, score the ball. Their 18.8 assists averaged as a team is good for top 10 nationally, and when they can consistently make shots, this translates to scoring nearly 90 points per game. Their current average sits at 89.1.
Shooting Struggles
The problem is, they aren’t consistently making shots. The Cats’ 48% composite mark from the field doesn’t seem that bad, but when you factor in the seemingly ever-dwindling three-point percentage (36%,) the worries start to make more sense.
It doesn’t help that this team is supposed to rely on the perimeter to score, according to Coach Pope. On multiple occasions and as recently as this past week, Pope has expressed a desire to shoot more threes. Going into the season, he set the mark at 30 attempts per game.
Kentucky has only met that mark in three games this season, against Bucknell, Jackson St., and Colgate, all at home. In the loss to Ohio State, they shot just 4-22 from the arc, charting a season-low 18.2%. The deep ball has officially become a question mark.
Tooth and Nail
General physicality has also proven to be a serious problem for this Kentucky team. In the losses against Clemson and Ohio State, they’ve lost the turnover battles in both and, at best, tied their opposition on the glass.
This struggle to contend with muscle on either end of the floor has negatively impacted that aforementioned long-range statistic too, wherein the Cats find fewer open looks from outside as a result of defenders pushing them well past the three-point line.
And when they do find themselves on the other side of a scrap with an opportunity at the free throw line, they’re only converting about 74% of their attempts. On average, they’ll leave around six free points on the floor every game. When you consider the four-point loss to Clemson, that statistic specifically starts to sting.
Stay the Course
Even still, the rafters of Rupp aren’t falling down… at least not yet. Coach Pope and the Cats have had 10 days of downtime before their home matchup with Brown, and then another five to prepare for their first SEC bout with seventh-ranked Florida, also at home. They’ve got the time, and facilities, to fix what’s broken and double down on what works.
The SEC is a high-octane, hyper-physical conference that’ll be sure to challenge every aspect of this Kentucky team. But going forward, fans should have hope that the Cats will put it together. Consider again the gritty comebacks against Duke and Gonzaga on neutral floors, as well as the recent breakout shooting performance against Louisville, which saw Kentucky shoot 11-21 from three, or 52%.
It’s a long season and, despite two frustrating losses, the Wildcats have earned a little patience to this point. Either way, nothing can be said beyond speculation until the match with the Gators on Jan. 4th. All we can do until then is cross our arms and wait.
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Men's Basketball
Kentucky vs. Ohio State: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions
Published
4 days agoon
December 21, 2024The 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).
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
Mark Pope Provides Injury Update on Kerr Kriisa After “Tricky” Surgery
Published
5 days agoon
December 20, 2024On Wednesday during his pre-Ohio State press conference, Mark Pope provided a brief update on the injury status of Kerr Kriisa. Kriisa went down with a jones fracture against Gonzaga and underwent surgery.
Discussing injury updates, moving onto Kerr Kriisa. Kriisa had surgery almost immediately after the Cats returned home from their loss at Clemson. In an interview last week, Pope predicted Kriisa would miss the next 6 weeks of basketball, even though he didn’t seem confident in that prediction.
In yesterday’s press conference, Pope informed BBN that Kerr recently started getting back in the weight room, “doing strength and conditioning”. Pope went on to joke that the UK coaching staff’s “goal is to make the weight room so unpleasant that he’s wanting to get back on the court” as soon as he can.
Whether intentionally or not, it does seem like Pope is giving BBN reason to believe Kerr will return before the 6-week initial prediction is over. But in the end, Pope could only say that they hope Kerr “returns sooner rather than later” but at the end of the day, “there are some things that are out of our control.”
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