Kentucky vs. Bucknell: Players to watch

Saturday’s game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Bucknell Bison is not going to be an easy game for the home team.

The Bison are returning five of their top six scorers from a year ago, and this is a really good defensive team. Bucknell only gave up 67.1 points per game last year, and they could make this game a grind-it-out game for the Wildcats.

This is Kentucky’s last game before they play Duke next Tuesday in the Champions Classic. Let’s look at Players to Watch on the Bucknell Bison heading into Saturday afternoon.

Players to Watch

1. #3 Noah Williamson 7’0” 250 lbs. Jr. Center Riga, Latvia
Williamson is off to a hot start through Bucknell’s first two games this season. He’s averaging 25.5 points per game and is 15-24 from the field. Williamson is also averaging 10.5 rebounds per game. He was a Third Team All-Patriot League selection after finishing fourth in the league in rebounding and eighth in scoring and blocks, and he also had six 20-point games and four double-doubles.

2. #13 Josh Bascoe 6’0” 180 lbs. Sr. Guard Milton, Ontario
Bascoe is also off to a strong start with 16.5 points per game on 43.5 percent from the field and 4/10 from 3-point range. He also leads the team with 36 minutes per game.

3. #1 Ian Motta 6’6” 195 lbs. Sr. Forward Allen, Texas
Motta is averaging 11.5 points per game with 5.5 rebounds per game on 9/17 shooting from the field.

4. #5 Elvin Edmonds IV 6’2” 190 lbs. Sr. Guard Hopewell, Va.
Edmonds is averaging 10 points and 6.5 rebounds per game through Bucknell’s first two games. He’s also second on the team with 31 minutes per game. Edmonds’s durability isn’t something new, for he was second in the Patriot League with 34.3 minutes per game last year. It was a year where Edmonds was also third in the Patriot League in assists, fifth in steals, and 15th in scoring. Edmonds is Hopewell High School’s all-time scoring (1,662) and three-point field goals (240) leader.

5. #22 Ruot Bijiek 6’9” 190 lbs. Jr. Forward Waukee, Iowa
Bijiek is averaging seven points and four rebounds per game through two games this season. He’s 5/8 from the field and 4/6 from 3-point range. He scored 11 points in a road loss to Duke last season.

Head Coach: John Griffin III (2nd season) Griffin is no stranger to Bucknell. He played for the Bison and led them to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006. That 2005 Bison team upset Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2006, Bucknell broke through and was ranked in the AP Top 25 on their way to a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they would knock off Arkansas in the first round. Griffin is the all-time leader in Bucknell program history with 220 three-point field goals.

As a coach, Griffin was on the Bison staff for four seasons as an assistant from 2015 to 2019. Bucknell went to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2018 and won four Patriot League Championships. The Bison went 14-19 with a 10-8 Patriot League record last year in Griffin’s first season as a head coach.

Notable Bucknell Alumni

Christy Mathewson: Mathewson is in the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. With 373 career wins, Mathewson won two World Series, two pitching Triple Crowns, and led the National League in wins four times and ERA and strikeouts five times. Fun fact: he played for the Reds in 1916 and managed them from 1916-1918.

Leslie Moonves: Moonves is the former chairman and CEO of CBS from 2003-18. He is married to Julie Chen, the host of the popular reality TV show Big Brother, which airs on CBS.

Keys to the Game

1. Patience: Bucknell is going to try and slow the pace of the game down to a slog. If you’re Kentucky, just accept that this is going to be a grind-it-out style of game. Shot selection will be at a premium as a result.

2. Don’t look ahead to Duke: This is a new-look Kentucky team, a completely new-look Kentucky team. With Duke looming on Tuesday, that’s where their focus can’t be. It has to be in this game against a tenacious Bucknell team.

3. Get off to a fast start: Getting off to a fast start can speed Bucknell up, and that’s not their style of play. That would be an advantage for Kentucky.

Score Prediction: Kentucky 78, Bucknell 67