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Kentucky vs. UNC Wilmington: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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Kentucky Wildcats guard Rob Dillingham (0) celebrates from the bench at Rupp Arena.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

After making a national statement on Tuesday, beating No. 8 Miami by 22 points, the Kentucky Wildcats take the court again this Saturday against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks, where John Calipari played two years before transferring to Clarion.

When Calipari played there from 1978 to 1980, the Seahawks had just moved to Division 1. More than forty years later, they have arguably become the best team in their conference, the Coastal Athletic Association, winning the most regular season championships and winning the conference tournament six times since 2000. This season, they will make another run as they are projected to finish second in their conference.

Based on their KenPom rating, at 133rd, UNCW will be the fourth most difficult opponent Kentucky has faced this season. Kentucky should still control this game, but they will faced with a different look.

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Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Speed the Game Up

As John Calipari said in his postgame press conference after the Miami game, he doesn’t have to yell at this Kentucky team to “GO!”. Averaging 76.7 possessions per game, the Wildcats play at the 34th-fastest pace in the country. In comparison, UNC Wilmington averages 69.7 possessions per game, which is below average for 262nd in the country.

Through seven games, the Wildcats have been fortunate to mostly play teams that like to play a similar, up-and-down style. That said, UNCW will look to slow it down, which is easier to do than speeding a game up. This is why many projections have Kentucky scoring one of their lowest point totals of the season.

UNCW doesn’t turn the ball over, so Kentucky will need to take advantage when they do and create transition opportunities off of rebounds.

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Rebounding

Even after beating Miami 95-73, Calipari’s first comment in the postgame press conference was “got outrebounded again”. That has been the case in two straight games, including giving up 10+ offensive rebounds in three straight. UNCW is one of the worst rebounding teams Kentucky has played this season, averaging 33.3 per game, 270th nationally.

When Bradshaw returns, he will certainly aid significantly in that, but the team needs to do a better job as a whole. A game will come when the shots aren’t falling and having a rebounding advatange can be the difference in winning or losing a game.

Aaron Bradshaw

Speaking of Bradshaw, on Monday, he participated in his first full-contact practice at Kentucky, returning from an offseason foot injury that he had surgery on. Bradshaw followed that up on Tuesday by going through his first full pre-game warmup, looking as impressive as you can in a warm-up, as the seven-footer was hitting contested shots from all three levels.

The plan is for Bradshaw to make his Kentucky debut this Saturday against UNCW, likely in limited minutes. Bradshaw’s return will address Kentucky’s concerns of size, rebounding, and rim protection. With his perimeter skillset, Calipari reiterated on Tuesday that he will not change the way Kentucky will play.

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No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats (6-1) vs. UNC Wilmington (5-1)

  • Time: 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, December 2nd
  • Location: Central Bank Center at Rupp Arena
  • TV Channel: SEC Network
  • Announcers: Mark Neely and Daymeon Fishback will call the action.
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | UNCW
  • Stats to Know: UK | UNCW
  • KenPom: UK | UNCW
  • Odds: ESPN’s matchup predictor has a high level of confidence in the Cats at 86.1%, with Bart Torvik slightly more confident at 88%.
  • PredictionsBart Torvik projects Kentucky to score its lowest point total this season, but to win 80-67. EvanMiya and Haslametrics both project Kentucky to win by very similar margins, 83-67 and 82-66.

How do you see tonight’s game playing out?

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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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Men's Basketball

ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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