UCLA Basketball vs. Kentucky: Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream and More
Nov 25, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) and guard De
The Kentucky and UCLA Basketball teams meet for the third consecutive season as the college basketball blue bloods clash in Lexington this year.
This is a test of the emergency awesome system as the Kentucky and UCLA Basketball teams will meet in both program’s first big test of the 2016-17 season. There is nothing to fear, this is only a test.
Three games. The first two have been split between the Bruins and Wildcats. This one is the tie breaker for bragging rights. Though a UK win would give them the edge over UCLA this season, the Bruins still have two more National Championships than they Wildcats, so the historical advantage is still with the Bruins.
But none of that matters starting at 9:30 a.m. PT on Saturday.
#11 UCLA Basketball vs. #1 Kentucky Wildcats
Records: Kentucky Wildcats 7-0, UCLA Bruins 8-0
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY (Cap.: 23,500)
Tipoff: 9:30 p.m. PT
Tickets: ukathletics.com
TV: CBS
Radio: AM 570 Los Angeles
On-line Radio: Tune-In
Betting Line: EVEN
Projected Starters:
UCLA – Lonzo Ball, Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, TJ Leaf, Thomas Welsh
Kentucky – De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Isaiah Briscoe, Wenyen Gabriel, Edrice Adebayo
Preview, Part 1
To quote Powerman 5000, “so this is what it’s like when worlds collide”.
Two of the most exciting teams in college basketball meet for the third time in as many seasons as the Kentucky and UCLA Basketball teams are set to do battle in the home of Big Blue Nation, Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
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Whenever UCLA-Kentucky is mentioned, it should always pique the interest of college basketball fans around the country and this season is no different, but the set up is.
The last two Bruin teams UK has played have not had as much talent as the Wildcats, even though UCLA beat Kentucky in Westwood last season, 87-77.
This game is extra special as both programs have Top 25 teams, high-scoring offenses and some explosive new players.
For Kentucky, freshman Monk is the new big man on campus as he is leading UK in scoring with 19.3 ppg. Monk, in essence, is a superstar in the making, but he is not alone.
The Wildcat running the show is Fox. He is third on the team in scoring (15.3) and first in assists (7.6). In UK’s last game, he had a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. That was only the second in Kentucky history and the first since has had since 1988.
Down below, Adebayo os a huge freshman that is causing havoc for opposing teams under the rim. He is leading UK in rebounds with 7.6. UK once again has a very skilled team, but they need to be ready for these Bruins who are better than both teams the Wildcats have faced in the last two years.
Preview, Part 2
For UCLA, Ball is the Bruin that is making a difference with this squad. Not only does he have a killer outside shot, but is even more dangerous as a distributor. Not only is he leading the NCAA in assists (9.6), but on Wednesday against UC Riverside, he broke a freshman record with 13 assists in that game.
When Ball has the ball, he makes everyone on his team better, which is a good thing for UCLA.
The Bruins are deep and have multiple players that can score. In fact, six Bruins are averaging double-digit points per game. The spark plug of the group is Hamilton who recently took over as the UCLA points leader with 18.0 ppg.
He was propelled into that spot after a 27-point performance against UC Riverside, on 9/17 shooting. Along with Hamilton, freshman forward Leaf is the finesse player the Bruins have been missing since Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
Key Stats:
UCLA
Lonzo Ball – 14.6 ppg, 9.6 asts. (1st in NCAA), 4.9 rebs, 1.5 stls,1.0 blk
TJ Leaf – 17.3 ppg, 9.0 rebs, .687 FG% (2nd by Pac-12), .500 3FG% (3rd in Pac-12)
Isaac Hamilton – 18.0 points (5th in Pac-12), 3.8 rebs, 3.5 asts, .514 FG%
Kentucky
Malik Monk – 19.3 ppg (3rd in SEC), 2.9 rebs, .476 FG%
De’Aaron Fox – 15.34 ppg, 7.6 asts (1st in SEC), 5.7 rebs, 2.0 steals (4th in SEC)
Edrice Adebayo – 11.1 ppg, 7.6 rebs (4th in SEC), .565 FG%
Final Analysis
This game is going to be very exciting. All eyes will be on Rupp Arena on Saturday morning as there will be dunks, beautiful outside shots and plenty of showtime-esque basketball.
Watch for the match ups in this game. Ball vs. Fox is going to be very interesting, though if UCLA needs to slow down Monk, I could see Ball swathing over or Aaron Holiday handling shut down duties.
The battle under the basket could be in UK’s favor. UCLA’s bigs are good, but need to be more physical. Can Ike Anigbogu, who returned from a meniscus injury last week, be the key factor for the Bruins in the front court?
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Pulling out a win will not be easy for either team. Both UCLA and UK can and will score, so whichever can play a little bit more defense might be the deciding factor in this game. Unfortunately, because they have a bit more talent and experience, UK should pull this out at home, but not by much.
Prediction: Kentucky 78 – UCLA 74
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