We are less than 48 hours away from the Kentucky Wildcats kicking off their week 13 matchup with the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

In what is going to be a tough matchup for the Cats, but for the first time this season the Cats will be the closest to healthy as they have been all season. Now it will feature some big players that will miss the marquee matchup with the Longhorns, but it appears the Cats could return some key players.

In tonight’s update, the UK staff had the report hold the same as Courtland Ford and Kahlil Saunders remain questionable and JJ Weaver stays in a probable status.

The Cats will need all the help they can get this weekend if they hope to pull off the upset. Adding a player back like Weaver to the defense can only help the Cats’ chances of a monster road upset.

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.

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.

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 Free-Throw Line

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

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)

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%).

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

Be sure to send us your Kentucky vs. Jackson State score predictions! And Go CATS!!