Busting Brackets
Fansided

West Virginia vs Kentucky: College basketball preview, TV schedule

By Nolan Schmidt

LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 13: Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers argues an officials call during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on January 13, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated West Virginia 72-71. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 13: Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers argues an officials call during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on January 13, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated West Virginia 72-71. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

In an exciting Big 12-SEC showcase, this evening offers us arguably the best game in the series as West Virginia takes on Kentucky in Morgantown.

TV Schedule: Saturday, January 27th, 2018, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN

Arena: WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, West Virginia)

It would be a safe bet to say that West Virginia and Kentucky are absolute polar opposites. One relies on freshmen year in and year out to get the job done. The other builds their roster around players that want to stick around beyond one year. Kentucky constructs their game plans around their roster of athletic, raw players. West Virginia plays a smart, methodical game, focused on defense. Both the Wildcats and Mountaineers are great overall basketball teams, but they are distinctly different.

Just take one look at the coaches of both teams and you will see how independent they are from one another. John Calipari wears a clean-pressed suit, slicks back his hair, and always looks sharp on game day. Then, you look at the other bench, where Bob Huggins has not changed sweatsuits since he got the West Virginia job in 2007. However, the question of which coach is better may rest within their National Championship counts. It is the Wildcats coach that has the lone title between them, he is also a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Yet, that only illustrates their differences, but it really has little to do with this game.

The currently unranked Wildcats suffered an abysmal two weeks in conference play. While they did win their most recent game against Mississippi State, they fell in their previous two. Kentucky fell on the road to South Carolina and then lost to Florida in Lexington a week ago. Now, they sit at 5-3 in the SEC which is still only a game and a half back of conference leader Auburn. Perhaps a break from league play will be beneficial, but given the opponent, I am not so sure.

A lack of perimeter shooting has always been a sticking point for Kentucky offensively. However, in their two losses last week, they were dreadful from long range. Against South Carolina, the Wildcats shot a horrendous 9 percent from three-point range. They followed that performance up by shooting 20 percent from deep. While that is an improvement from the previous game, is it really something to be proud of? I think not.

Their win over Mississippi State was due in large part to a poor shooting performance from the Bulldogs. Still, that win is a good start if Kentucky wants to make their way back into the top-25. Last week was the first time since 2014 that the Wildcats were not ranked, and a win over the Mountaineers would surely put them back in the top-25.

West Virginia has also suffered a tough couple of weeks in Big 12 play. The Mountaineers have dropped three of their last four games. Two of those losses came to ranked opponents in Texas Tech and Kansas. They then followed up with a dominating home victory over Texas, which may have given them their momentum back. However, they fell flat against TCU, losing by nine points on the road.

Like Kentucky, the Mountaineers shot poorly and were uncharacteristically sloppy in all of those losses. They choked up at least 12 turnovers in all three of those losses, including 16 giveaways against Kansas. If they continue to turn the ball over at a high rate like they have recently, they will be in big trouble.

Next: Summit League Power Rankings v. 5

Outside of the home crowd, I do give the advantage to West Virginia in this game. Kentucky is know to be undisciplined, stemming from how young their players are. The Wildcats average 14 turnovers a game, but over the last three games they have totaled 44 turnovers. With a stifling Mountaineer press and overall defense, that could be very problematic for the Wildcats. I would not be shocked if Kentucky turned the ball over 20 or more times in this game.

Kentucky also lacks a player like Jevon Carter who is arguably the most valuable in the NCAA. No one possesses the combination of basketball IQ and overall skill like Carter. With all that being said, I think West Virginia holds a clear advantage despite their recent struggles.

Prediction: West Virginia 77, Kentucky 68

Home/Kentucky Wildcats