Kentucky basketball is coming off a tough loss to Louisville in the Battle of the Bluegrass, but the season is young and plenty of basketball is left to play. Next up, the Wildcats will play the Eastern Illinois Panthers in the final game of the BBN United Tipoff Classic.
Led by fifth-year head coach Marty Simmons, the Panthers are searching for their first winning season since 2020. However, they were picked to finish 10th of 11 teams in the Ohio Valley Conference.
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With a 1-2 record, the Panthers split the games between the other two teams featured in the BBN Tipoff Class, Valparaiso (3-point loss) and Nicholls (8-point win), and are coming off a 20-point loss on the road to Notre Dame.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
Playing Fast, But Controlled
Mark Pope wants his offense to play quickly, while Eastern Illinois wants to slow the game down. The Panthers rank 320th or worse in adjusted tempo and average possession length.
This Kentucky defense is not going to generate many turnovers, as we have seen in the first three games. Instead, they need to push the pace off rebounds, which stems from good, solid defense.
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That said, playing fast hasn’t been a concern, but playing under control was in the Louisville game, recording 14 turnovers. Otega Oweh and Jaland Lowe were the main culprits, committing eight of them. Being two of Kentucky’s primary ball handlers, they have to make smarter decisions with the ball, and they are capable of doing so.
Lineups
Mark Pope is a very analytically driven coach, but with the season still early, the sample size is small to pull from. Collecting data to identify which lineups are effective has led to some weird lineups early thus far.
“We had some interesting new vibe lineups for us in the second half, trying to respond to some things,” Pope said after the loss to Louisville.
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According to EvanMiya, of Kentucky’s five most efficient lineups, only one has played double-digit possessions together on offense and defense.
Expect the lineup “data collection” to continue, but it needs to start narrowing.
Kam Williams
Kam Williams was Kentucky’s first get this offseason, announcing his commitment just days after entering the transfer portal. Coming from Tulane, shooting 41.2% from deep with a 7-f00t wingspan, he came in with a lot of hype as an NBA 3-and-D prospect.
Through the first two games, Williams had just two points and was 0-5 from three, overthinking things on the court. Against Louisville, he looked to find some type of a comfort zone, scoring five points during an important run and a block in reduced minutes.
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Was that stretch enough for him to gain some confidence?
Players to Know
G Zion Fruster, 6-2, 170 lbs
F Kooper Jacobi, 6-7, 200 lbs
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Time: 7:00 PM ET on November 14th
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Location: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, Kentucky
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TV Channel: SEC Network+ (streaming only)
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Online Stream: SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
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Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for this game, so please check back later for that. As for the metrics, the Wildcats are a near lock to win this game. KenPom, EvanMiya, and ESPN all give the Cats above a 99% chance. BartTorvik is just behind at 98%.
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Predictions: To go along with the percentages to win, the metrics are going with a 30+ victory: Haslametrics 91-60, KenPom 90-57, BartTorvik 88-59, and EvanMiya 90-59 . I am taking the Cats to come out frustrated after a loss to Lousville and cruise to a win, 93-54.
