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

For the second-straight year, the UNC basketball program and Kentucky will meet in the CBS Sports Classic after COVID-19 protocols have hit other teams.

The Tar Heels were originally supposed to take on No. 4 UCLA on Saturday in Las Vegas but the Bruins game on Wednesday against Alabama State was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols and the team will not make the trip. No. 21 Kentucky was set to face Ohio State but the Buckeyes were going through protocols as well.

So here we are.

UNC will still get a shot to take down a ranked opponent on Saturday and win their sixth-straight game. They enter this game 1-2 against the AP Top 25 this year with losses to Purdue and Tennessee before beating then No. 24 Michigan at home. For Kentucky, they enter the game 7-2 overall with a opening night loss to Duke and then dropping a non-conference game to Notre Dame last Saturday.

This will be a good test for both teams and a chance to pickup a nice win before conference play gets going in the coming weeks. It’s also a good opportunity for the fan bases to watch two blue blood programs go at it on Saturday.

Key to Victory for UNC

Dominate in the paint. Against Furman, the Tar Heels had a huge advantage in the paint with their bigs and we saw Armando Bacot, Dawson Garcia and Brady Manek have good nights. But on Saturday, they won’t have that big advantage.

Junior Oscar Tshiebwe will be a tough matchup for the Tar Heels as he enters this game averaging 16.3 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9, forward is Kentucky’s best player in the post and could present some problems for UNC.

A player like Bacot is going to have to have a big game to either match or slow down Tshiebwe in this one. The thing UNC has working to their advantage is a trio of bigs that can come in and rotate. Both Garcia and Manek are capable of draining long-range shots with Bacot staying in the paint. That could be an advantage to point to for the Tar Heels.

If UNC can dominate on the glass, they should find themselves in good position to win this game.

Something to Watch

Can UNC stay hot from the three-point line? In what is a big turn of events this season, UNC is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country. Going into this game, they are ranked seventh in the nation making 40.9 percent of their attempts this season.

Last game against Furman, UNC made just 5 of their 14 three-point attempts. They need to get back on track and bury some three’s against Kentucky.

Last Meeting

These two teams met last season in the CBS Sports Classic after UCLA and Ohio State both had COVID issues. UNC won that matchup 75-63 after falling behind Kentucky early on. Armando Bacot had 14 points while Kerwin Walton had 13. Garrison Brooks and Caleb Love finished with 11 each.

Projected Starters

No. 4 R.J. Davis (So., 6-0, 175) – 13.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg
No. 2 Caleb Love (So., 6-4, 195) – 16.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.9 apg
No. 1 Leaky Black (Sr., 6-8 200) – 5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg
No. 13 Dawson Garcia (So. 6-11, 235) – 12.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Jr., 6-10, 240) – 14.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg

What you need to know

WHAT? Kentucky Wildcats (7-2, 0-0 in SEC)  vs North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2, 1-0 ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, December 18 – 5:30 p.m. EST
WHERE? T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
TV? CBS
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network Affiliates
LAST MEETING?  UNC won 75-63 on December 19, 2020
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 25-16
LINE? N/A
PREDICTION? UNC 78, Kentucky 76

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