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Kentucky vs. Oklahoma: TV/Streaming Info, Preview, and Betting Odds/Predictions

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Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) fives a teammate.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Following a tough road loss to Alabama, the Kentucky Wildcats look to bounce back as they travel to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners started the season 13-0, going undefeated in their non-conference slate, including wins over Arizona, Michigan, and Louisville. However, they’re 4-10 in SEC play, putting them firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A win over a top-20 Kentucky team would certainly bolster their resume following a huge home win over Mississippi State, who Kentucky is battling for SEC Tournament seed positioning.

ESPN currently gives the Sooners a 55% chance of making the Big Dance.

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Led by fourth-year head coach Porter Moser, he is likely coaching for his job, as he has yet to make an NCAA Tournament in Norman.

The Wildcats will be taking on a desperate team with a desperate coach on the road while likely shorthanded. That’s no easy task.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Dominate Rebounding

Averaging less than 33 rebounds per game, Oklahoma is the worst rebounding team in the SEC. For comparison, Kentucky averages more than 39 rebounds per game.

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Head coach Porter Moser explains that the Sooners struggle with rebounding “in the trenches,” which has led to some very lopsided rebound battles. The most notable coming against Texas A&M just a few weeks ago, losing the rebounding battle 44-19. In that game, the Aggies had more offensive rebounds than Oklahoma had total rebounds.

There is no big size difference. It simply comes down to who wants the ball more. Kentucky needs to crash the boards hard.

Fix the Turnovers

What Oklahoma lacks in rebounding, they try to make up for on the defensive end. While not a great defensive team overall, they do turn their opponents over 13 times per game, with nearly eight steals per game.

That defensive havoc has given a lot of teams trouble. Missouri, one of the most efficient offenses in the country, recently turned the ball over 15 times to the Sooners.

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Without a veteran point guard available, Kentucky has turned the ball over 12 or more times in three straight games. They need to try to keep that number under 10 against Oklahoma.

Pound the Paint

Oklahoma defends the 3 very well, ranking in the top 20 in that category, forcing teams into shooting less than 30% from deep. However, they are not great at defending inside, allowing teams to shoot nearly 55% on two-point shots.

Amari Williams has been playing at an elite level, averaging 15 points on 65 percent shooting inside. He is primed to continue that against the Sooners, but Otega Oweh and Andrew Carr need to have big games as well.

If they are taking averaging in the paint, that should open up opportunities from 3. Carr could even slip out to the corner like he did several times against Alabama.

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Opposing Players to Watch

F Jalon Moore 6-7, 215 lbs

  • 17.0 PPG (8th in SEC)
  • 5.7 RPG
  • 38.2% 3P

G Jeremiah Fears 6-4, 182 lbs

  • 15.9 PPG
  • 4.0 APG (8th in SEC)
  • 4.0 RPG

G Duke Miles 6-2, 188 lbs

  • 10.1 PPG
  • 2.1 APG
  • 43.8% 3P

Kentucky Basketball vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Time: 9 PM ET on February 26th, 2025
Location: Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma
TV Channel: SEC Network
Online StreamESPN+ and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens will have the call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | OU
Stats to Know: UK | OU
KenPomUK | OU
Team SheetUK | OU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky favored by 1.5 points with an over/under of 163.5. BartTorvik gives the Cats a 62% chance at Victory. ESPN is at 60.8%, followed by KenPom at 57%. EvanMiya is almost at a coin flip at 51.3%, which is with the expectation that Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson are not available.

PredictionsHaslametrics (83-78) and BartTorvik (85-81) are the models that give Kentucky a two-possession win. KenPom (84-82) and EvanMiya (80-79) pick Kentucky a single bucket. I think the Cats pull out a close one against a desperate Oklahoma team, 84-80.

Send us your Kentucky vs. Oklahoma score predictions in the comments section!

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Go CATS!

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

Former Wildcats Headline Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals Matchup

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Cason Wallace and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Kevin Jairaj | IMAGN

The NBA Finals tip off with familiar faces on both sides in the first-ever series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers.

For the first time since 2012, when the Thunder were led by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City is in the NBA Finals. The franchise has the opportunity to earn its first title in Oklahoma City since the team’s rebrand and relocation in 2008.

As for the Pacers, it’s the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. Indiana is seeking its first championship in team history. 

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City’s superstar and crowning 2024-25 league MVP has continued his season-long dominance into the postseason. Averaging 31.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Gilgeous-Alexander impressed as the Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1, as he led all but one game of the series in scoring. 

After an underwhelming performance in Game 3, Gilgeous-Alexander responded with a near triple-double performance, posting 40 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Oklahoma City defeated the Timberwolves narrowly, 128-126.

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The Thunder blew out Minnesota in Games 4 and 5 thanks to back-to-back massive performances by Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 34 and 40 points, respectively. Clinching his first bid to the NBA Finals. 

At midcourt after their Game 5 victory, OKC hoisted the Western Conference Trophy in front of their home crowd. Gilgeous-Alexander walked off with the Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson Trophy for his Western Conference Finals heroics.

Cason Wallace

Second-year pro Wallace is the Thunder’s ultimate plug-and-play contributor. Although Wallace isn’t a stat-stuffing machine like Gilgeous-Alexander, his defensive prowess stands out.

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In five games, the Kentucky product averaged 25.8 minutes per game off the bench. Wallace was often assigned to guard Wolves superstar Anthony Edwards. 

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged five points, 3.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and nearly a block and steal per game. 

Known for his hustle, Wallace excels at imposing himself on defense despite commonly matching up with larger opponents. His ability to disrupt the Timberwolves’ offense created offensive opportunities, which coincided with his pass-first mentality on offense.

Wallace could be found stealing from 7-foot-1 Frenchman Rudy Gobert in the post and nailing 3-pointers on the other end.

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In Game 5, Wallace scored only five points but had two rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Helping OKC seal a commanding 124-94 victory to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals.

Isaiah Jackson

The tallest former Wildcat out of the bunch, Jackson stands at 6-foot-9 as a physical off-the-bench presence for Indiana.

Unfortunately, the big man won’t be available to play in the NBA Finals. In the fifth game of the season, Jackson suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Nov. 1 in a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

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This season Jackson made six appearances for the Pacers, including a start against the Boston Celtics early in the season. Posting seven points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

Despite the injury, the four-year Pacer would still receive a ring if Indiana wins for his short-lived contribution this season.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips-off on Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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Men's Basketball

The 2025-26 Cats Consensus: It’s Time for Banner Number Nine

Every new and returning Wildcat shares the same dream: bringing a championship trophy to Lexington once more.

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Mark Pope in a crowd of fans at Big Blue Madness
Tyler Ruth | UK Athletics

“We are here to win banners.”

While just about everything Mark Pope said at his introductory press conference went viral in one way or another, that aforementioned declaration stood out amongst his crowd of quotes like no other to a fanbase more than a decade removed from a national championship.

To the big blue nation, Coach Pope’s words last spring were a much needed battle cry. Now, as he’s set to enter his second year at the helm, Pope has made sure the team he assembled for the 2025-26 season shares the same hunger.

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It begins on a basic level, with players across the board throwing the number “9” around on social media in posts, replies, and commitments. Much like the Kentucky faithful, the newest roster to roll through Lexington isn’t afraid to make reference to the top task at hand.

For (likely) starting point guard Jaland Lowe, it’s an opportunity he “can’t miss.” “See y’all soon #BBN,” he said in a post on X, announcing his return to the collegiate level. Lowe chose a junior season at Kentucky over a chance to be chosen in the NBA Draft. Otega Oweh, the now-projected SEC player of the year, would follow suit shortly thereafter.

The Ultimate Goal

Andrija Jelavic, a primary member of the incoming unit, as well as the team’s lone international player, dubbed the title chase as “the ultimate goal” in his interview with KY Insider. “We all [the team] agree that the ultimate goal is the same and that is to bring a championship to Kentucky, to the state and the fans,” he said.

To Jelavic, it goes further than hunger. It’s a responsibility.

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And that responsibility is what sets Kentucky apart from other programs. As awkward as the conversation around John Calipari can get, when push comes to shove, much of the dissatisfaction growing within the fanbase as his tenure came to a close was rooted in the coach’s apparent disinterest in winning another championship.

Year after year went by; top-ranked roster after top ranked roster. After a while, it seemed that Kentucky was more often mentioned in the first round of the NBA Draft than it was in the NCAA Tournament. The problem persisted, the tension festered and, ultimately, the two sides split… and it all goes back to that elusive ninth title.

Name on the Front of the Jersey

Mark Pope has said before that he wants to bring in guys who are playing for the name on the front of their jersey. It just so happens that there are enough of those like-minded athletes across the nation to build one of the consensus best teams in college basketball, all of whom are in full pursuit of a new blue banner in the rafters of Rupp.

With a mindset like that shared across the board and talent like the 2025-26 team has at hand, it’s only a matter of time before that dream becomes a reality once more. For the first time in more than a decade, the entire Big Blue Nation is on the same page – and that includes the guys who can actually make it happen.

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Men's Basketball

Koby Brea Talks With Andrija Jelavic About His Legendary Chapter Awaiting At Kentucky

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ABA League (Left) | Imagn (Right)


Andrija Jelavic, in a recent Q&A with Kentucky Insider, revealed that he exchanged messages with former Wildcat Koby Brea, who will be handing down his No. 4 jersey to Jelavic.

The big man was asked if he had spoken with any former Wildcats after comparing his play style to Karl-Anthony Towns, and what he knew about Kentucky growing up.

“I exchanged some messages with Koby Brea because I’m gonna be wearing his number four,” Jelavic said. “About Kentucky, I always knew that they are the biggest franchise in college basketball history, and just everything about them is legendary.”

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Jelavic added on what exactly Brea said in those messages.

“He just told me to go be great and that he can’t wait to see me play,” Jelavic said. “Also, that he likes my number decision.”

Alone, the fact that Brea reached out speaks volume to the culture that is established at Kentucky. The lethal sharpshooter from Mark Pope’s first team at Kentucky played only one season in the blue and white, yet, seems interested in the future of the program despite chasing his own big league dreams.

To end our exclusive interview, Jelavic talked about the goals he has now as a Wildcat and how he wants to be a legendary piece to this year’s roster.

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“Definitely to bring many wins and hopefully a championship to Kentucky, Jelavic said. “To be a player that Kentucky will always remember.”

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