Kentucky and Kansas basketball entered Saturday night's top 10 matchup as the two winningest programs in college basketball history. Add one more to the Wildcats' total.
No. 8 Kentucky pulled away in the second half to down No. 9 Kansas 71-63 at Rupp Arena. Three Wildcats (Reid Travis, 18; PJ Washington, 16 and Keldon Johnson, 15) finished with double-figure points as Kentucky won its sixth straight game.
FINAL STATS: No. 8 Kentucky 71, Kansas 63
For Kansas, player of the year candidate Dedric Lawson led the way with 17 points — but it came on 6-of-16 shooting.
Both teams came out of the gates slow and shot less than 40 percent from the field for the game. The Wildcats jolted ahead for good behind a 22-10 run right out of halftime, and they finished 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes to clinch the victory.
Follow along below for the full in-game recap of Saturday night's blueblood battle between Kentucky and Kansas:
Kentucky-Kansas: STAT PREVIEW
| Kentucky | Kansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 15-3 | 16-3 |
| AP Rank | 8 | 9 |
| Points per game | 80 | 78.1 |
| Opponent points per game | 67.5 | 70.2 |
| Strength of schedule rank | 34 | 1 |
| Field goal percentage | 48.6 | 48.1 |
| 3-point percentage | 35.7 | 35.6 |
| Rebounds per game | 38.4 | 38.2 |
| Assists per game | 14.3 | 13.9 |
| Steals per game | 6.9 | 7.4 |
| Turnovers per game | 13.7 | 13.2 |
Kentucky Kansas preview, prediction, keys to the game
Can Kansas get Kentucky off the glass?
Kentucky is one of the best teams in the country on the boards. The Wildcats are the fifth-best team in the nation in total rebound percentage, collecting 57.1 percent of all available rebounds. They’re also the ninth-best team in offensive rebound percentage at 37.9 percent. If that weren’t enough, Kentucky has held opponents to 28.9 total rebounds per game — the third lowest amount in Division I.
Kansas is quite a bit behind, with a total rebound percentage of 51.6 (ranked 130 in the country) and an offensive rebound percentage of 29.2 (ranked 163). Without Udoka Azubuike and his 6.8 rebounds per game (second on Kansas only to Dedric Lawson), that problem is only exacerbated.
Since the Jayhawks have the 114th-best offensive rating in the country — they average just 107.5 points per 100 possessions — they can’t allow the Wildcats to dominate on the boards, or a lack of possessions will come back to haunt them.
Kentucky needs to limit fouls
The Wildcats average 16.2 fouls per game, which is the 43rd-lowest in the country. Yet against Duke, they racked up 25, and against Seton Hall, they had 21. It’s no surprise that the Wildcats lost both matchups. Duke had 28 points from free throws against Kentucky, while 24 Seton Hall had 24 of its 84 points come from the line.
There’s a bit more of a margin of error for this against Kansas, which shoots 64.2 percent from the line (266th in the country), but if you put any team on the line 20+ times, they’re bound to make you pay.
3-pointers will be sparse (but key)
When looking at 3-point attempt rate (what percentage of field goal attempts are 3-pointers), Kansas ranked 314th at 32.6 percent, and Kentucky ranks 340th at 29.9 percent. Combined, the two teams have only taken 676 3-pointers this season. Savannah State leads Division I with 754 3-point attempts on the year.
But when they do take 3-pointers, both teams are slightly above average from deep. Kentucky hits 35.7 percent, while Kansas is at 35.6.
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For Kansas, a lot of that success is owed to Lagerald Vick and Devon Dotson. Vick’s 45.7 percentage from deep leads the Big 12, and he’s doing it while taking an average of 6.7 attempts per game. Dotson only averages 1.9 attempts per game, but hits at 41.7 percent, making him a constant threat.
While the Jayhawks don’t rely terribly on their 3-point prowess, all three of their losses came when they shot below 32 percent from beyond the arc. Only one of those saw an inordinate number of attempts, as Kansas took a season-high 28 3-pointers against Arizona State.
Prediction:
Kansas will need a big game from Lawson or Vick to come out of Lexington with a win. In all likelihood, Kentucky’s depth, dominance on the glass, and home court advantage will provide the edge for the Wildcats.
SCORE PREDICTION: Kentucky wins, 78-73
How we're doing with these predictions
We're at 6-6 on the season, but we can feel a hot streak coming.
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