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Men's Basketball

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

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3 years ago

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The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the State Farm Champions Classic.
UK Athletics

After playing a number of exhibition games and the first two games of the regular season against questionable competition, the Kentucky Wildcats will finally play a ranked opponent in the Champions Classic, albeit short-handed. It’s not just any ranked opponent, it is the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks.

Similar to Kentucky, Kansas returned four scholarship players from last season, however, three of those four players are starters. To fill their roster, the Jayhawks added four Top 100 recruits, highlighted by Top 20 guard Elmarko Jackson, and four transfers, including three ranked in 247Sports’ Top 50 transfers.

Kentucky retook the lead for all-time wins this summer (2377 to 2370) thanks to the NCAA’s investigation into Kansas. Can they increase that gap by one more game? Let’s take a look at the anticipated matchup.

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Transition Defense

This Kentucky team has the personnel to be one of the best transition offense teams that John Calipari has coached. However, their transition defense will be tested against Kansas.

In their first two games of the season, the Jayhawks have put up back-to-back 99-point scoring performances, in large part due to their ability to play fast. Both of these games have been against sub-300 KenPom teams though, allowing Kansas to dominate with their athleticism. However, that athleticism gap won’t be there against Kentucky.

The best defense for the Wildcats is not to make mistakes. Even with a freshmen team, Kentucky has only turned the ball over nine times through two games this season, the second-best mark in the country. Kansas has also often turned long rebounds and blocked shots into runouts, so it will be key to sprint back.

KU’s half-court offense hasn’t looked great early. If Kentucky can limit transition opportunities and force them to score in the half-court, the Wildcats have the offensive firepower to match and maybe even win.

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Force Hunter Dickinson to Beat You

Kentucky’s lack of size and Hunter Dickinson is the biggest story of this game. Dickinson is one of the best big men in the country and he is going to be a handful. However, he has not been a player that can carry a team to win. Case in point, Michigan has barely gone over .500 in the last two seasons with Dickinson as the star. He is also a player who can get into his own head at times (i.e. against UNC and Penn State last season, Illinois exhibition).

That said, Bill Self is one of the best X and O coaches in college basketball and will put Dickinson in better positions to succeed, attacking Kentucky’s lack of size. It is best to assume that he will get his 20 and 10.

Dickinson is the only player with a 2+ inch size advantage, that plays significant minutes. Kentucky’s defense, especially on-ball pressure, has looked good given this point of the season. The Wildcats should look into a strategy that was used against them a lot with Oscar Tshiebwe the last two seasons, make the big man beat you.

A Good Performance Against a Top Opponent

Kentucky hasn’t won a game in the Champions Classic since 2019 when Tyrese Maxey went off for 26 points against Michigan State. Most realize that without a healthy roster, it is going to be a difficult task to take down the No. 1 team in the country.

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However, given the talent of this Kentucky roster, it should still be a competitive game. If the young Wildcats can push Kansas in their first real contest of the season, with three big pieces of the roster, that will still provide some confidence going forward.

No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks

  • Time/Date: 9 PM ET on Tuesday, November 14th, 2023
  • Location: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
  • Announcers: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Holly Rowe
  • Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
  • Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
  • Rosters: UK | KU
  • Stats to Know: UK | KU
  • Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release its spread for the matchup, but we will update this article as soon as they do. ESPN’s matchup predictor has the Wildcats as a decent underdog at 25.4%, giving them a 1 in 4 shot at the win. Bart Torvik has a little more confidence in the Cats, giving them a 34% chance.
  • Predictions: Bart Torvik picks the Wildcats to lose in a close one 75-71. While Haslametrics is going with a 79-69 victory for the Jayhawks!

Also published on a Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

College Basketball Rankings: Where Kentucky Stands in Updated “way-too-early” Polls

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Where Kentucky basketball stands in ESPN and CBS Sports updated way-too-early rankings after more coaching changes, player additions, and injuries.
UK Athletics

Last offseason, Kentucky was considered a top-10 team and a true title contender, but ended the season as one of the most disappointing teams in the country, winning just one game in the NCAA Tournament.

This offseason, Kentucky is barely cracking the top 15 in most preseason rankings and will look to climb the rankings throughout the season rather than fall.

Still 120+ days out from the start of the regular season, ESPN and CBS Sports have updated their “way-too-early” rankings following Dusty May’s jump from Michigan to the NBA, more player additions for teams, and some early-season-ending injuries.

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The rankings remain fairly static, however, with the Wildcats holding steady in ESPN’s rankings while moving ahead of St. John’s in CBS Sports’ rankings following Donnie Freeman’s Achilles injury.

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (no change)

Impact newcomer: Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic was the best transfer in the portal, after a season in which he established himself as the best shooter in college basketball. The 6-8 forward withdrew from the NBA draft on the night of the deadline, committing to coach Mark Pope’s team a few days later after also being pursued by Louisville and Arizona. He’s immediately an All-America contender and the most dangerous player on the Wildcats’ roster, after averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.7% from 3 last season.

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Projected starting lineup

Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington)
Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman)
Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State)
Ousmane N’Diaye (9.8 PPG for Cremona in Serie A)
Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)

CBS Sports

16. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (⬆️1)

This ranking is based on the Wildcats returning one of the top six scorers — specifically Malachi Moreno — from a team that finished 22-14 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Washington transfers Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton, James Madison transfer Justin McBride, Providence transfer Alex Wilkins, four-star prospect Mason Williams and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye.

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Discusses Final Assistant Coach Position, “I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces”

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope isn't rushing to fill Kentucky's final assistant coach opening, saying pending NCAA rules on international players could shift his plans.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball has operated this offseason without a full staff. Assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart left the program back in March, and Mark Pope has only filled one of the two spots since, hiring former NBA All-Star Mo Williams from Jackson State.

Despite that, Kentucky managed to bring in the 3rd ranked transfer class in the country, highlighted by Milan Momcilovic, and have secured a commitment from 2027 five-star Ryan Hampton.

“I like my organization a lot right now. I think this group is functioning at a high level,” Pope said about his staff in an interview with BBN Tonight. “I like the way our staff feels. I like the way we feel in the staff meeting every day. I like the way we’re executing on the road. I like the way we feel on the court right now.”

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With an assistant coach position sitting vacant, Pope is satisfied with how his staff is performing and says there is no urgency in filling the role. Instead, he’s waiting to see how NCAA guidelines and rules unfold in the coming weeks.

“I’m not in desperate need of adding more pieces, although I’m open to the idea,” he said.

“There are going to be a whole host of legal cases from our league testing the CSC and the NCAA on their current guidelines and rules on international players. And depending on what the outcome of those are, it could very much shift the direction we go with hiring.”

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Men's Basketball

Mark Pope Says Kentucky’s Final Roster Spot Is About Fit, “There’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece”

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2 weeks ago

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July 3, 2026

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Mark Pope opens up on Kentucky Basketball's final roster spot, emphasizing fit over hype as the Nikola Kusturica recruitment nears a decision.
UK Athletics

Kentucky basketball is wrapping up its third week of practice in an eight-week summer training block. While the players are getting acclimated to Mark Pope’s system and to each other, there is still one roster spot to be filled.

“I am enjoying coaching these guys, but we’re also still really active in recruiting,” Pope said in an interview with BBN Tonight.

One name that Wildcat fans have been keeping a close eye on in recent weeks is Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old prospect from Serbia, who is currently playing for FC Barcelona and is a projected lottery pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. His recruitment is down to Kentucky and UCLA, with the latter having the momentum and a decision expected soon.

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Whoever the final roster piece will be, Pope emphasizes that they must fit with the other 14 players on the roster.

“Where we are with our roster, there’s got to be a very uniquely positioned piece that fits,” he said.

“There are several different archetypes of piece that would fit this roster really well, but there’s also a lot of guys who are popping up as available or have been available for a little while who don’t turn out to be the fit that’s going to work for this team.”

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