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Kentucky vs. Mississippi State, Round 2: TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Predictions

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After a dominant win over Alabama, the Kentucky Wildcats will take on Mississippi State on the road.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

What a win on Saturday for the Kentucky Wildcats, who put up one of the best offensive performances in college basketball this season on Saturday in a 117-95 win over Alabama. Now they will go back on the road to take on a Mississippi State team in a quad-one opportunity.

With Kentucky coming out on top in the first matchup, back in January, Mississippi State will look to even the season series and defend their home court on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are playing some of their best basketball of the season, riding a five-game winning streak, including a twenty-point road victory over LSU, whom Kentucky just lost to.

Let’s look at the matchup.

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Interior Defense

Tolu Smith is arguably the best big man in the SEC. In the first matchup between these two teams, he certainly made his presence felt despite the loss, scoring a season-high 26 points on better than 70 percent shooting.

This time around will be a good test to see how an improved Kentucky defense handles a physical interior player. While improving and reportedly back at practice, Tre Mitchell is unlikely to play on Tuesday, so it will be up to the seven-footers.

Ugonna Onyenso is Kentucky’s most physical big, but Zvonimir Ivisic who just scored a season-high 18 points, gives Kentucky a higher offensive ceiling.

Rebounding Battle

Similar to the stereotypical SEC team, Mississippi State is a physical team that does well on the boards, ranking toward the top of the country in total rebounds, offensive rebounds, and rebound margin. In the first matchup, Kentucky outrebounded the Bulldogs 30-29, that effort will need to be there again Tuesday.

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Josh Hubbard

Mississippi State’s equivalent to Rob Dillingham is Josh Hubbard. The sub-six-foot electric guard is a similar microwave-type player who just won his fifth SEC Freshman of the Week honor this season after scoring 32 points against LSU.

Scoring just three points on 1-11 shooting against Kentucky back in January, Hubbard is motivated to have a better performance. The priority in defending Hubbard is chasing him off the three-point line or pushing him back as more than 64 percent of his shots have been taken from deep. Similar to what Kentucky did to Alabama, make him finish at the rim.

Opposing Players to Watch

F Tolu Smith 6-11, 245 lbs

  • 16.8 PPG (9th in SEC)
  • 8.1 RPG (3rd in SEC)
  • 59.7% FG (1st in SEC)

G Josh Hubbard 5-10, 185 lbs

  • 15.3 PPG (10th in SEC)
  • 76 3PM (1st in SEC)
  • 7.9 3PA per game

G Dashawn Davis 6-1, 190 lbs

  • 6.2 PPG
  • 3.0 APG (17th in SEC)

Kentucky Basketball vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

  • Time: 7 PM ET on February 27th
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Announcers: To be announced.
  • Location: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi.
  • Online Stream: WatchESPN and 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 | MISS ST
  • Stats to Know: UK | MISS ST
  • KenPom: UK | MISS ST
  • Team Sheets: UK | MISS ST
  • Odds: The odds for the game have yet to be released, but check out SportsBetExpert for your picks. Despite a convincing win over Alabama, the projections are not in Kentucky’s favor. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Cats just a 40.9% chance at victory, with Bart Torvik right in line at 41%. EvanMiya and KenPom give Kentucky a slightly higher chance at the win, at 46% and 45% respectively.
  • Predictions: The projections have the game coming down to the wire. Bart Torvik and KenPom have Mississippi State winning by two points, 80-78 and 79-77. Haslametrics and EvanMiya have the Cats winning by just one point, 77-76.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

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

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Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Champion's Classic in Atlanta in a Top 25 matchup.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

The Kentucky Wildcats have finished the first week of the regular season 2-0. However, on Tuesday they will have their first big test of the season, traveling to Atlanta to take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Champion’s Classic.

Duke comes in with a roster reminiscent of past Kentucky teams, full of elite freshmen. Meanwhile, Kentucky comes in with the oldest team in program history. It will be a true battle between youth and experience.

The Wildcats are just 1-6 in their last seven Champions Classic games and just 1-5 against Duke over their last six meetings. Can the Wildcats change course? Let’s take a look at the matchup.

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Rebounding Battle

Duke has the tallest team in the country, with an average height of 6’7.5”. That certainly helps them in their battle of the boards, where through two games they are averaging 45 rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mark Pope has not been pleased with Kentucky’s effort on the boards to start the season. In their latest game against Bucknell, rebounding was a clear point of emphasis as the Cats grabbed 57 rebounds, including 22 offensive boards.

Kentucky doesn’t give up too much height, but they do give up some athleticism. With a lot of long rebounds from threes, all five Cats on the floor need to box out.

Turnover Battle

In addition to their height, Duke also has the length to be pests on defense. Combining for 18 steals on defense through two games, the Blue Devils are able to create offense.

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After turning the ball over fifteen times against Bucknell, eight of which between Amari Williams and Andrew Carr, they’re are going to have to be aware of the pressure inside and keep the ball moving.

Conditioning

Mark Pope has talked about improving his team’s conditioning, wanting them to be in a shape reminiscent of Rick Pitino’s 90s teams, which Pope was a part of. They will be able to see where they stand physically, and potentially use it to their advantage.

Currently, Kentucky ranks 26th in adjusted tempo, while Duke ranks 181st. However, both team’s average possession lasts less than 15 seconds. This means a fast-paced game should be expected.

Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg has cramped in each of the Blue Devil’s first two games. If Kentucky can be successful in pushing the pace, it will give them a better chance at the win.

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The Stage

This is Kentucky’s most experienced team in program history. However, on Tuesday, many of them will be playing on the biggest stage of their career.

We have seen Kentucky freshmen struggle in this event in the past. Now with a team of veterans, can they contribute when the lights shine the brightest?

Opposing Players to Watch

G/F Cooper Flagg 6-9, 205 lbs

  • 15.5 PPG
  • 9 RPG
  • 4 APG
  • 2.5 SPG

G/F Kon Knueppel 6-7, 217 lbs

  • 18.5 PPG
  • 3 RPG
  • 50% 3P

G Tyrese Proctor 6-6, 183 lbs

  • 12.0 PPG
  • 5 RPG
  • 1.5 APG
  • 50% 3P

Kentucky Basketball vs. Duke Blue Devils

  • Time: 9:00 PM ET on November 12th
    Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
    TV Channel: ESPN
    Announcers: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Jess Sims
    Online Stream: 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 | DUKE
    Stats to Know: UK | DUKE
    KenPom: UK | DUKE
    Team Sheet: UK | DUKE

Be sure to send us your Kentucky-Duke score predictions down in the comments section!

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Recap and Takeaways from Kentucky’s 100-72 Win Over Bucknell

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The Kentucky Wildcats get a 100-72 win over Bucknell to improve to 2-0 on the season, with a matchup against No. 7 Duke coming up next.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

After coming off the first win of the Mark Pope era in a 103-63 win versus Wright State, the Cats were going to have another early test, this time in the Bucknell Bison of the Patriot League. Big man Noah Williamson came into the game as the Bison’s star player after a 19-point season opener versus Delaware and followed that up with an impressive 32-point game versus Southern Indiana in the Bison’s first two regular season games. 

First Half ups and downs

The Cats started with a 10-3 lead entering the first timeout, led by star guard Jaxson Robinson with 5 quick points to open the game. The ‘Cats would later extend their lead with the help of Dayton transfer Koby Brea who made three of his six three-point attempts in the first half. Mark Pope’s squad would also face a struggle in the middle of the half with sloppy play and uncharacteristic misses on the offensive side of the floor. The ‘Cats would get back on track late in the half and enter the halftime break up 47-31.

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Second Half firepower

The ‘Cats didn’t skip a beat as they started to roll in the second half with Kerr Krissa finding his teammates left and right for open shots. Kriisa would finish the game with 12 assists with just 2 turnovers. Brea stayed hot hitting 3 more 3 pointers. Brea finished with 20 points and 6 of 8 from behind the arc. Kentucky would steamroll the Bison with a final score of 100-72 in their second game under head coach Mark Pope as his team gets ready for a clash versus the Duke Blue Devil on Tuesday.

Keys to the game 

The three-point attempts and makes were both up against the Bison from their matchup against Wright State where they only made 11 of 24. Tonight in the win against Bucknell the ‘Cats took 36 threes connecting on 13. The impressive play from Amari Williams who held Bucknell’s star player Noah Williamson to just 7 points on 3 of 12 shooting was a big plus for Pope’s squad tonight. Lastly, Kerr Kriisa was all over the court creating havoc on both ends finishing with 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 12 assists in a game where Mark Pope acknowledged Kriisa by saying “I have to be careful. I think I knew exactly who I was getting. I’ve been recruiting Kerr for I think seven years or something. I’m telling you he’s a really special player. He’s a really special young man.” Pope made it known just how important Kerr Kriisa was for his team.

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When are the ‘Cats back in action?

Kentucky will take on the Duke Blue Devils Tuesday night at 9 PM at Champions Classic in Atlanta, GA inside State Farm Arena the game will air on ESPN.

Box Score

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Men's Basketball

Louisville Basketball Struggling to Sell Tickets for #12 Tennessee, Giving Away FREE Tickets

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IMAGN

Kentucky never has to worry about a big game being sell out, nor most regular season games. However, that is not the case for the school an hour down the road.

With a new and energetic head coach bringing an exciting style of play, one would think that Louisville Cardinal fans would be ready to support their program and attend a Top 25 game in their NBA style arena. Yet, you would be wrong.

With a matchup with 12th ranked Tennessee on Saturday, the Cardinals have thousands of tickets available for KFC Yum Center. Earlier this week head coach Pat Kelsey went around Louisville’s campus to encourage students to purchase tickets and attend the game.

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UPS and Louisville boosters have purchased tickets in bulk this week to give away. Now just 24 hours away from tip and in order to have a respectable atmosphere, they have resorted to giving away FREE tickets, as long as you are a Planet Fitness member which costs $10/month.

Sound the “LUNK” alarm for Louisville’s ticket sales.

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