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Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. St Joseph’s: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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Kentucky Wildcats cheerleads perform during the second half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Stonehill Skyhawks at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

This Kentucky basketball team is exciting and if you’re anything like me, you can’t wait to watch them again. They will take the court again on Monday against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks. The programs have matched up just twice in their history, most notably in the 2017 Sweet Sixteen, with Kentucky coming away with both wins.

The Hawks are one of the more storied mid-major basketball programs in the country. With 21 NCAA tournament appearances, Saint Joseph’s has four Elite Eight appearances and a Final Four (1961). That said, they have not made any postseason appearance since 2016.

This season, the Hawks return all but one player from last season’s rotation, including their top three scorers. Yet, that doesn’t solve the defensive issues that have plagued them under head coach Billy Lange, who has yet to have a .500 season in five seasons.

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This will be a step up in competition over New Mexico State and Stonehill. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup.

Defend the Three

One of the biggest frustrations of a Kentucky basketball fan is when opposing teams come into Rupp Arena and turn into the prime Golden State Warriors. Saint Joseph’s has the ability to do just that.

Averaging 31.3 three-point attempts per game, the Hawks shoot threes at the sixth-highest rate in the nation. Shooting 32 percent, they are somewhat efficient as well. The biggest threat is Erik Reynolds, who leads the team in scoring, but also shoots 42 percent from three.

The Hawks also move the ball very well, averaging more than 17 assists per game. With their ability to shoot and move the ball effectively, Kentucky’s backcourt must show discipline and stick to their assignments.

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Rebounding Battle

Despite a lack of size, Kentucky has won the rebounding battle in all three of their wins. Of course, that will be a key against Saint Joseph’s.

The Hawks do rank top 50 in the country in rebounding. However, looking at their roster, it’s not the effort of just one player, as there are five players averaging more than four rebounds per game. On top of that, they do have two seven-footers.

For that reason, for Kentucky to win the rebounding battle, each player must focus on doing their part for the collective.

Shoot and Make the Three

John Calipari has completely transformed his offensive philosophy. After shooting just 18 threes per game, 315th in the country, the Wildcats are shooting more than 30 per game this season, good for 11th in the country.

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While that number is certainly to be closer to 25 as the season progresses, the willingness to shoot threes is there. With that, Saint Joseph’s is a team that gives up the three as well. So given that, Kentucky will have looks. If they can carry their shooting performance over from the Stonehill game, it could be another explosive scoring outing.

No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (3-1) vs. Saint Joseph’s Hawks (3-1)

  • Time: 7 pm ET on Monday, November 20th
  • Location: Central Bank Center at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
  • TV: SEC Network
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Announcers: Not Announced
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | SJU
  • Stats to Know: UK | SJU
  • KenPom: UK | SJU
  • Odds: ESPN’s matchup predictor has the Wildcats as a heavy favorite to win at 88.7%. Bart Torvik is slightly higher at 90%.
  • PredictionsBart Torvik and Haslametrics is in agreement, going with a 79-66 win for the Wildcats.

Men's Basketball

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

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Kentucky players encouraging each other at Rupp Arena.
Chet White | UK Athletics

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action Friday to face the Jackson State Tigers in the second game of the BBN Invitational.

To put it simply, Jackson State is bad, very bad. Sitting at 0-5 and ranked 321st in KenPom, the Tigers will likely be the worst opponent Kentucky will play all season.

Coached by Mo Williams, one of LeBron James’ old teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Tigers have only finished above .500 twice in the last decade. This season, Jackson State is predicted to finish fourth in the SWAC.

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Mark Pope recently said he wanted to build a standard, regardless of opponent and, and that will be tested on Friday.

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

More 3-Point Attempts

Admittedly nitpicking, one of the things that Mark Pope was not happy with in Kentucky’s win over Lipscomb was the amount of three-point attempts. While they shot nearly 50 percent from deep, going 12-25, Pope wants to see the number of attempts closer to 35.

The Tigers have allowed their opponents to shoot 47.8 percent from deep, the second-worst mark in the country. Pope and the staff will certainly generate a game plan to take advantage of this. Expect to see 30+ attempts.

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Ball Movement

Despite beating Lipscomb by 29 points, the Wildcats had a season-low in assists with just ten. For context, Kentucky had averaged more than 23 assists per game entering the matchup.

“That’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Pope said after the game.

While there wasn’t a lot of selfishness, the ball just wasn’t ‘flying’ as it has been early this season. This is a priority for the staff and this mature group, and they will aim for 25+ assists.

Keep JSU off the Free-Throw Line

Jackson State ranks in the top 100 nationally in one area: Free throws made per game. So, Kentucky, defend without fouling.

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Kentucky’s offense makes headlines, but the defense has played very well to start the season, holding all four opponents to under 73 points. Let’s see if they can get down in a stance and defend well for 40 minutes vs. a team that stresses contact and drawing fouls.

Opposing Players to Watch

C Shannon Grant 6-11, 290 lbs

  • 7.5 PPG
  • 4.8
  • Preseason All-SWAC First Team selection

G Jayme Mitchell Jr 6-5, 190 lbs

  • 15.0 PPG
  • 3.8 RPG
  • 44.4% 3P

F Romelle Mansel 6-9, 220 lbs

  • 10.8 PPG
  • 5.8 RPG
  • 31.7% FG (second most FG attempts on the team)

Kentucky Wildcats Basketball vs. Jackson State Tigers

Time: 7 PM ET on November 22nd
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV Channel: This game will not be on TV and is streaming only,
Online Stream: SEC Network+, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | JSU
Stats to Know: UK | JSU
KenPom: UK | JSU
Team Sheet: UK | JSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, so check Thursday afternoon for an official spread. Multiple projections give Kentucky a 99% chance of winning: Bart Torvik (99%), EvanMiya (99.9%), and ESPN (99.0%). The exception is KenPom (92%).

PredictionsKenPom (93-63), Haslametrics (96-63), Bart Torvik (95-61), and EvanMiya (96-59) all are going with a 30+ point victory, Kentucky!

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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