Kentucky basketball schedule, Week 3: Your guide to what John Calipari's Wildcats face this week
The ultimate Kentucky watch guide for Week 3
By
Kyle Boone
•
1 min read
Fresh off a disappointing loss to UCLA at home over the weekend, the Kentucky Wildcats are aiming to right the ship this week. With another home game before traveling to New York later in the week, here is their complete schedule for the week. We've also included how to watch the games and a brief preview of their matchups below.
Wednesday, Dec. 7
Opponent: Valparaiso
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Television: SEC Network
Streaming: Watch ESPN app or WatchESPN.com
Location: Rupp Arena; Lexington, Kentucky
Breakdown: The Cats get to stay at Rupp Arena on Wednesday to try and bounce back from their home loss to UCLA. Kentucky allowed the most points ever under John Calipari against the Bruins, but Valpo has a much less explosive offense that could get them back on track defensively. Their offensive efficiency is 111th in the country, according to KenPom, which is a considerable tick down from UCLA at No. 5.
Pick: With Kentucky coming off a loss, I don't think there's any chance they fall to Valparaiso at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats have the talent edge. They have the size edge. And they have home court advantage. I'll pick Kentucky.
Sunday, Dec. 11
Opponent: Hofstra
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Streaming: Watch ESPN app or WatchESPN.com
Location: Barclays Center; Brooklyn, New York
Breakdown: Hofstra ranks near the bottom of Division I in defensive efficiency and Kentucky is near the top in offensive efficiency. Hofstra will struggle to match up with UK's size. Hofstra's average height is 301st of 351 teams, according to KenPom. The Pride have a talented freshman guard in Eli Pemberton, who will be an interesting matchup against De'Aaron Fox. Pemberton leads the team in scoring and is a lethal 3-point threat. But Kentucky will push the pace in this one and I think they'll have no problems at Barclays Center, where the Cats are 2-1 all-time.
Pick: It's a no-brainer pick to go with the Cats in this one, and it may get out of hand. KenPom gives UK a 97 percent chance to win, and I like the odds of that.
