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UNC Basketball vs. UK: Game info, preview, prediction and more

By Zack Pearson

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Nassir Little #5, Coby White #2 and Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react during the second half of their against the Gonzaga Bulldogs game at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 103-90. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Nassir Little #5, Coby White #2 and Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react during the second half of their against the Gonzaga Bulldogs game at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 103-90. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The UNC Basketball team takes on Kentucky in Chicago as part of the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday night. Check out our game preview to get ready for the big game

The North Carolina Tar Heels and Kentucky Wildcats renew their rivalry Saturday at the United Center in Chicago as part of the CBS Sports Classic.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Elite 8 showdown back in 2017 as Luke Maye hit the game-winning shot to send the Tar Heels to the Final Four. The two teams met earlier in that season at the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas with the Wildcats coming back to steal one from the Tar Heels.

While this game doesn’t have Final Four implications, it’s still a big non-conference game.

The No. 9 Tar Heels enter the game with an 8-2 record and are fresh off a home win over then-No. 3 ranked Gonzaga. It was UNC’s best win of the year as they controlled the game right from the tip to beat the Bulldogs.

The Gonzaga game was the first in a tough two-game stretch in non-conference play for UNC with that ending against Kentucky on Saturday.

For the Wildcats, they also enter the game at 8-2 and are ranked No. 19 in the country. Their two losses this season have been to Duke in the season-opener and Seton Hall just over two weeks ago. Both have come on a neutral court.

While they had some preseason hype, this Kentucky team is still finding their ways. They are led by freshman Keldon Johnson who is averaging 16.1 points per game this season. Fellow freshman Ashton Hagans leads the team with 3.1 assists, giving the Wildcats a young, talented backcourt.

The Wildcats can score as they average 84.6 points per game but their struggles come on the defensive side of the basketball.

Even with that talented backcourt and a then a frontcourt that features P.J. Washington and transfer Reid Travis, the team really struggles on defense. Per KenPom, the Wildcats rank 53rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. If UNC shoots as they did against Gonzaga on Saturday, this one could get ugly for the Wildcats on defense.

Kentucky has also had problems defending the perimeter this season.

They are one of the worst teams defending the three-pointer, an area where UNC would love to exploit with Cam Johnson, Luke Maye, and Kenny Williams. While that seems ideal, Williams has struggled this season. This could be a game where he breaks out in a big way.

On the glass, the Tar Heels should have the advantage but it won’t be easy.  UNC is once again one of the best rebounding teams in the country, especially on the glass.

Both Travis and Washington are good rebounders so this will certainly be an area to watch in this game.

As always, UNC will look to push the tempo early and often. Grabbing control of the glass and getting run outs is what head coach Roy Williams is hoping for and could be the recipe to beating Kentucky. Dominating the offensive glass and getting second-chance points will be another area the Tar Heels can exploit on Saturday.

Key to the game for UNC

The perimeter is somewhere that UNC should be able to take advantage of in this game, especially with the Wildcats poor three-point defense.

If there was ever a game where Kenny Williams could break out of his slump, this is the ideal matchup. Williams is averaging just 7.7 points per game this season and shooting 37 percent from the three-point line. That’s the worst production since his freshman year where he barely saw the floor.

This is an opportunity for Williams to turn things around and do it in a big way.

Senior Cam Johnson enters this game as UNC’s leading scorer at 16.6 points per game and is coming off a big performance against Gonzaga where he led all scorers with 25 points. He drained 6 of his 8 three-point attempts and got going early.

Next. UNC-UK headlines for Saturday. dark

Let’s see if Cam can continue the hot shooting.

What you need to know

What? Kentucky (8-2) vs. UNC (8-2)
When? Saturday, December 22 – 5:15 pm EST
Where? The United Center in Chicago, Illinois
TV? CBS
Radio? Tar Heels Sports Network
All-Time series? North Carolina leads 24-15.
Prediction? UNC 89, Kentucky 83
Line: No line set.

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