Kentucky vs North Carolina: 2018-19 College Basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Adam Childs
Kentucky and North Carolina head to Chicago to play against each other in a great non-conference game. Can Kentucky get back on track or will North Carolina continue their great play?
Matchup: Kentucky Wildcats (8-2) at North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2)
Date and time: Saturday, Dec. 22 at 5:15 p.m. ET
TV schedule: CBS
Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
Kentucky and North Carolina come into Saturday’s game with identical 8-2 records but with two very different outlooks. The Wildcats have struggled more than they normally do and have got blown out by Duke and lost a close game to Seton Hall. North Carolina, on the other hand, had a disappointing loss to Texas and a blowout loss to Michigan who is currently ranked number four in the country, but they are coming off a huge win against Gonzaga last Saturday night. That win has the Tar Heels looking like they are again contenders.
North Carolina looked like an offensive juggernaut in scoring 103 points against the Bulldogs in their “upset” win. Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye led the way with 25 and 20 points respectively. The Tar Heels also got 15 from freshman Coby White and 14 points off the bench from Seventh Woods in just 17 minutes of playing time.
It’s no secret that North Carolina will run whenever they get the chance and they were able to do that successfully against Gonzaga. Look for them to try and do that again against the Wildcats and their perceived lack of defense.
Kentucky is also coming off a week layoff as their last game was a 27 point win over Utah last Saturday. The Wildcats finally dominated an opponent in beating the Utes. That is something that has been a question mark for Kentucky all year. They have had close games with teams that they probably should be beating easily.
Related Story. ACC Player of the Year rankings. light
The Wildcats are led by freshman Keldon Johnson who is averaging 16.1 points per game. Senior Reid Travis is right behind him at 14.7 ppg. The Wildcats are not a great shooting team as they are shooting under 50% from the field on the year. From outside they are right at 37%. Those are not numbers that are going to scare anyone.
Both of these teams love to run and are much more comfortable in transition than in the half court. This has all the makings of a very high scoring game that could be very entertaining. Kentucky is averaging 85 points per game and the Tar Heels are at 94 points per game. The Wildcats seem to play defense when they want and that could cause them problems. They gave up 118 points to Duke in the season opener and if they play like that again they could easily give up over 100 again on Saturday.
Kentucky has the talent to play with North Carolina, but they have not shown that they can play together well enough yet to a consistent threat. North Carolina has looked vulnerable at times (see Michigan) but still has a very good team. If Kentucky can hit their shots they can go toe to toe with the Tar Heels. Unfortunately for Kentucky, North Carolina is just a little bit better than them and more experienced. Look for it to be close early but the Tar Heels will pull away in the second half.
dark. Next. Holiday wishlist for Kentucky Basketball
This game should be very entertaining and they should light up the scoreboard. North Carolina comes out on top in this high scoring game.