College basketball games on CBS often just feel different, especially with Brad Nessler and Bill Raftery on the call as they will be this weekend as the #14 Kentucky Wildcats take on the #9 North Carolina Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta.

This will be the 43rd meeting between the two programs, with the Tar Heels holding the series lead, 25-17. However, they are just 1-3 against Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic. The last time the two teams matched up was back in 2021, as the trio of Kellan Grady, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Sahvir Wheeler overwhelmed the Tar Heels as the Wildcats went on to win 98-69.

This season, the two teams are currently ranked in the top 15 and possess two of the best fast-paced offenses in the country, contributing to what is expected to be an exciting, high-scoring contest.

That said, the Tar Heels have a similar identity to what they have been in recent years, led by two All-ACC calibers players Armando Bacot and RJ Davis, with new supporting pieces. Whereas Kentucky brings just 19 percent of last season’s minutes and looks much more modern in their style of play.

Rebounding Battle

Over the years, a staple for good North Carolina and Kentucky teams has been rebounding. In fact, the Tar Heels have been a top 10 rebounding team in six of the last seven seasons, with Kentucky being a top 30 rebounding team in five of those seasons.

This year things are a little different, North Carolina is ranked just 61st with 39 rebounds per game and Kentucky is ranked 87th with 38.2 per game. The difference between the two is that UNC is heavily reliant on Bacot in their rebound efforts, whereas it has been much more of a group effort for Kentucky with seven players averaging for than 4+ rebounds per game, compared to just two for UNC.

Kentucky should be able to outrebound UNC’s smaller backcourt, but it will be up to the recently returned Aaron Bradshaw, and potentially Ugonna Onyenso who is expected to play, to limit Bacot on the boards.

Take Advantage of Mismatches

One of North Carolina’s biggest weaknesses is their backcourt size, or lack thereof. Pair that with subpar defense thus far this season, especially with screening action, there is a recipe for Kentucky to exploit.

RJ Davis (6-0) and Elliot Cadeau (6-1) make up the North Carolina backcourt, while they are explosive offensively, they are a liability at times on defense. In their last game against UCONN, the Huskies were able to shoot right over them, and even more notably create mismatches through screens.

As John Calipari has said multiple times this season, this Kentucky team is full of “basketball players”, meaning they can all pass, dribble, and shoot. With a versatile lineup of players, Kentucky can and should look to take advantage when they are both on the court.

Ball Movement

Ball movement has been a staple for this Kentucky team for much of the season, ranking top ten in assists per game (19.6 APG) and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.20). However, after assisting on more than sixty percent of their baskets in four straight games, the ball has started to stall just a bit.

UCONN, the best passing team North Carolina has faced, had 25 assists on 34 made field goals. They did so by using mismatches (above), backdoor cuts, etc., essentially motion. The opportunity will be there for Kentucky to do the same.

Be the Aggressor, Win the Fight

Oftentimes in big games the last few seasons, Kentucky has not been the aggressor and they have lacked fight. That has not been the case for this team and it was seen very early this season.

Going up against then No. 1 Kansas, just a week into the season, the Wildcats got down 9-0 in the first three minutes and it appeared to the be start of a blowout. To Kentucky’s credit, they battled back to take a 12-point lead by the end of the first half. However, their immaturity showed and they folded down the stretch as a much more experienced Kansas team made the plays to win.

Carolina will be another test. Against Arkansas, the Tar Heels went up as much as 12 in the first half. Against Tennessee, the Tar Heels put up 61 points in the first half. While Carolina play’s fast is more than capable of throwing the first punch, they are not very deep and tend to slow down toward the end of games.

If Kentucky can punch first and retain the aggressor the majority of the game, they will have a good shot at the win.

Kentucky Wildcats vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

• Date: Saturday, December 16th, 2023
• Time: 5:30 pm ET
• Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
• TV Channel: CBS
• Announcers: Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery, and Jenny Dell.
• Online Stream: CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App.
• Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
• Replay: CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports Network (check local listings).
• Rosters: UK | UNC
• Stats to Know: UK | UNC
• KenPom: UK | UNC
• Odds: ESPN’s matchup predictor is slightly in favor of North Carolina, but at 53% predicts a toss-up game. Bart Torvik and EvanMiya are also in agreement, favoring the Tar Heels at 53% as well.
• Predictions: Similar to the percentages, the score projections expect a close game with Kentucky as the underdog. Bart Torvik and EvanMiya project the Wildcats to lose by one point, predicting final scores of 84-83 and 82-81 respectively. Haslametrics projects a tad larger margin of defeat, 87-83.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.