Kentucky vs UNC: 2023-24 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Kentucky and North Carolina, two of the most historic programs in the country, are set to tip it off from State Farm Arena Saturday afternoon in what should be a high-scoring, must-watch affair.

TV schedule: Saturday, December 16th, 5:30pm ET, CBS

Arena: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Kentucky vs North Carolina has all the makings of must-watch TV as both are considered to be blue bloods in the sport of college basketball. In addition, they each play at a high tempo and are both top 15 offenses in the nation, according to KenPom. A high scoring game between two of the top teams in the nation on CBS? Count me in!

Kentucky is one of the deepest and most explosive teams in the country, but they haven't been able to showcase it just yet. They hung tough with Kansas, dismantled Miami, and then suffered a shocking home loss to UNC Wilmington. Aaron Bradshaw just returned, and his first full game was their runaway victory over Penn. Ugonna Onyenso may make his season debut in this one, but I would imagine he will play limited minutes at best. Adding another seven footer to this lineup spells trouble for opposing teams. The Wildcats have too many big names to even list, but they can hurt you from all over the floor as they have (almost) seven players averaging double figures.

North Carolina has gotten off to a blazing start to the season, but we haven't seen them in action since they suffered a loss to Uconn. RJ Davis and Armando Bacot may be the best one-two punch in the country, but the additions of Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan have made these team elite on the offensive end of the floor. They are still slightly a mixed bag of results, but they have been more consistent than last season. UNC could win this game handily, but they could also lose by 20, it just depends on which version of them shows up.

This should be a great game, and could be somewhat similar to Carolina's game against Uconn. I think Kentucky has the depth and talent to really give UNC some issues as Aaron Bradshaw and Tre Mitchell are going to make things very difficult for Bacot down low. If Onyenso is able to go, the hill will only become that much steeper for the Heels to climb. Add in the fact that Kentucky has about six different guards that can hurt you, and I think if their best version shows up they should be able to walk away with a win.

Prediction: Kentucky: 87 North Carolina: 75