Kentucky

Kentucky vs. Wright State viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

Published

1 year ago

November 1, 2024

Kentucky vs. Wright State viewing info, what to watch for, and predictions

After seven long, eventful months, the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is back and is ready to tip off the Mark Pope era. The Wildcats’ opponent in the season opener will be the Wright State Raiders.

Wright State comes to Rupp Arena for a payment of $90,000 to give the Wildcats a respectable test. Coached by first-year head coach Clint Sargent, the Raiders were picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League and have the league’s preseason Player of the Year in forward Brandon Noel.

This will be the fifth game of the series, with Kentucky winning the previous four games by an average of 20.25 points.

Here’s what to watch for in Kentucky vs. Wright State to tip off the new season.

Defensive Litmus Test

Last season, Wright State had one of the nation’s best offenses, ranking fourth in points per game (86.5) and first in field goal percentage (53%). While they are under a new coach, Sargent has been at Wright State since 2016 and will play a similar style.

While they with pace, they do not rush things, and playing an inside-out game. Last season, the Raiders scored two-thirds of their points on two-point shots. That said, Sargent will likely shoot more threes than his predecessor.

This game should be a good litmus test for the Kentucky defense, which Pope says needs improvement. “We were actually dancing, recovering to the gap instead of recovering to the shooter,” he said of his preseason contests on Thursday.

This will be a great early test for the Cats, especially since Wright State has a very good forward in Brandon Noel, who recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds in a road win over Oakland last season.

Size Advantage

Wright State does not have a player in the rotation taller than 6’8, giving the Wildcats a clear size advantage with the trio of Andrew Carr, Brandon Garrison, and Amari Williams.

This should also create pressure inside the paint, allowing for shooters to be open. Also, this should help Kentucky on the boards, especially on the offensive glass. Mark Pope prioritizes this in his offense and wants to see his team improve on that from the preseason.

“I haven’t been super excited about us on the glass right now,” Pope said in his pregame presser. “We haven’t had the presence on the offensive glass, which is vitally important. How we play, we have got to have a presence on the offensive glass. And I think there were some times we got lackadaisical on the defensive glass. So I’d like to get much, much better there, much more sure there.”

Let’s see if Kentucky can assert itself now that the games are real, even if the team potentially does not have one of its best frontcourt players…

Amari Williams Injury

Early in Kentucky’s second exhibition game, Amari Williams suffered a leg injury, which forced him to miss the rest of the game. Thankfully, it sounds like it’s only a minor issue, but it does have Williams’ status in doubt for Monday night.

“Imaging was really good, really positive,” Pope said of Williams during a Thursday press conference. “He’s day-to-day right now. He won’t do anything — just free throws today, and we’re hopeful he’ll be back soon. But we’ll kinda proceed with all the caution and urgency that we possibly can.”

If Williams can’t go, it means Brandon Garrison will be the starting center after a solid showing in the exhibition season. While Garrison is more than capable of holding down the fort, Williams is the better overall big man. He’s also a better fit for Kentucky’s offense since he’s a good passer and can take the ball up the floor after grabbing a rebound.

Crowd/Energy

The Kentucky fanbase has been juiced with Mark Pope’s infectious energy since he was hired in April. That excitement has carried through the offseason and the first preseason exhibition game against Kentucky Wesleyan. However, for Minnesota State, the crowd was quite pitiful.

What will the crowd look like for Monday’s season opener? There will likely not be 100% attendance, but it will be interesting to see the turnout. There are several tickets still available online.

Opposing Players to Watch

F Brandon Noel, 6-8, 240 lbs

14.5 PPG
8.0 RPG
Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year

*Stats from 2023-24 season

G Alex Huibregtse, 6-3, 205 lbs

12.3 PPG
3.3 APG
Preseason Horizon League Second Team

*Stats from 2023-24 season

F Michael Imariagbe, 6-7, 220 lbs

*Stats from 2023-24 season

Time: 7:00 PM EST on November 4th

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV Channel: ESPNU

Announcers: Tom Hart and Jimmy Dykes

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 | WSU

Stats to Know: UK | WSU

KenPom: UK | WSU

Team Sheet: UK | WSU

Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky as a 21.5-point favorite with an over/under of 157.5. EvanMiya gives the Cats a 92.9% chance to win. Bart Torvik and KenPom are slightly higher at 95% and 94%, respectively, while DRatings is at 93.1%.

Predictions: Bart Torvik and Haslametrics have Kentucky winning 91-71 and 93-73, respectively. EvanMiya and KenPom both predict an 86-69 win for the Wildcats. DRatings has Kentucky winning 96-81.

Send us your score predictions in the comments section!

Source link

Click to comment

Kentucky

No. 2 seed Iowa State shuts down No. 7 Kentucky in 82-63 NCAA tourney victory

Published

3 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

No. 2 seed Iowa State shuts down No. 7 Kentucky in 82-63 NCAA tourney victory

ST. LOUIS — Tamin Lipsey knew he had to step up for Iowa State with All-America forward Joshua Jefferson sitting on the bench, his sprained left ankle still encased in a boot, as the Cyclones played Kentucky on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Lipsey, who grew up in the shadows of the Iowa State campus in Ames, answered with the finest game of his four-year career.

The senior guard poured in a career-high 26 points, tied a career high with 10 assists, and led a suffocating defense that shut down the Wildcats in the second half, allowing the second-seeded Cyclones to pull away for an 82-63 victory in the NCAA Tournament.

“All the guys knew we had to step up in different ways,” Lipsey said, “however that presented to us.”

Lipsey didn’t do it alone, of course — he needed someone scoring to pile up all those assists. Milan Momcilovic scored 20 points and Nate Heise, getting the start in Jefferson’s place, added 12 to help the Cyclones (29-7) advance to a Midwest Region semifinal against either third-seeded Virginia or No. 6 seed Tennessee on Friday night in Chicago.

It will be the eighth Sweet 16 trip for the Cyclones and the third under T.J. Otzelberger, though the question now is whether they will be whole for it. Jefferson, their second-leading scorer and top rebounder, is scheduled to have an MRI exam on Monday.

“We’ll see how that goes and take it from there,” Otzelberger said.

Kentucky (22-14) jumped to a 20-9 lead in the opening minutes Sunday before Iowa State fought back to take a 31-30 halftime lead.

The Wildcats were still within 46-40 with 13½ minutes to play when the Cyclones forced three of the Wildcats’ 20 turnovers in quick succession. They converted all three into baskets at the other end, part of a decisive 13-1 run, which not only allowed Iowa State to seize control but also seemed to finally deflate Kentucky.

The Wildcats had been buzzing after a buzzer-beater from Otega Oweh forced overtime in a first-round victory over Santa Clara.

“We had a tough time finding baskets and more importantly we had a real tough time getting a stop,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “They shot 50 percent in the second half from 3, and they played really well. You’re not going to win games when you give up 51 in the second half, and there’s a lot of reasons that happened.”

Oweh followed up his 35-point performance against the Broncos with 18 against the Cyclones, playing most of the second half in foul trouble. Denzel Aberdeen led the Wildcats with 20 points, though the pair of guards didn’t get a whole lot more help.

“We didn’t play fully hard for the full 40 minutes,” Aberdeen said, “and we had to do a better job.”

For two teams that can score in bunches, there was little elegance for much of their first matchup since the 2012 NCAA tourney, when the Wildcats beat Iowa State in the second round on their way to winning the national championship.

The Cyclones missed their first 11 tries from beyond the 3-point arc. Kentucky had 12 turnovers in the first half.

“We got a little disoriented,” Pope said, “and that’s what Iowa State does. They increased their pressure and we turned it over 12 times in the first half, and kind of contributed to our own demise.”

Iowa State eventually began driving to the basket and picking up fouls, and generated offense from the free-throw line until its shots started to fall. That began just before the break, and Heise’s buzzer-beating 3 gave the Cyclones a 31-30 advantage.

They went on to outscore Kentucky 51-33 after halftime to coast into the semifinals of the Midwest Region.

“We knew we had to be at our best. I’m proud of our guys,” Otzelberger said. “Felt like the game didn’t start the way we’d like but on defense, our pressure as the game wore on paid dividends for us. We generated turnovers and scored off our defense.”

Up next

Iowa State and Virginia have split four previous meetings, though the Cavaliers won the most recent matchup and the only one in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers cruised 84-71 in the Sweet 16 on March 25, 2016, before losing to Syracuse in the Elite Eight.

The Cyclones beat Tennessee during the 1969 season but they’ve lost the last two to the Volunteers, the first during a tournament in December 1977 and the most recent on January 27, 2018, during the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

Source link

Kentucky

Who is Otega Oweh’s brother of Kentucky basketball star?

Published

15 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Who is Otega Oweh’s brother of Kentucky basketball star?

Kentucky basketball will be back in action on Sunday in the Round of 32 against Iowa State thanks to the heroics of guard Otega Oweh.

Oweh hit the game-tying buzzer-beater against Santa Clara in the first round, sending the game to overtime. The Wildcats ultimately won 89-84.

The back-to-back Second Team All-SEC selection comes from an athletic family. His brother, Odafe Oweh, plays in the NFL, recently signing a free agent deal with the Washington Commanders. Oweh played college football at Penn State, and he was a first-round pick in 2021.

He previously played for the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers, earning All-Rookie Team honors in 2021.

The younger Oweh led Kentucky to the Sweet 16 last season, and thanks to his clutch shot on Friday, UK is playing for a shot at a return trip to the tournament’s second weekend.

This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Who is Otega Oweh’s brother who plays in NFL?

Source link

Kentucky

Game time set for Iowa State vs. Kentucky in March Madness second round

Published

2 days ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Game time set for Iowa State vs. Kentucky in March Madness second round

Iowa State men’s basketball will play Kentucky in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, on Sunday, March 22.

The No. 2-seed Cyclones (28-7) are coming off a 108-74 win over Tennessee State. The No. 7-seed Wildcats (22-13) are coming off a thrilling 89-84 win over No. 10-seed Santa Clara, which featured a buzzer-beating logo 3-pointer by Kentucky to send the game into overtime.

Check below for the need-to-know game information for Iowa State’s first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament:

Buy Iowa State NCAA tournament tickets vs. Kentucky