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Kentucky Wildcats @ N. Carolina Tar Heels

Current Records: Kentucky 7-2, N. Carolina 7-2

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What to Know

The N. Carolina Tar Heels will take on the Kentucky Wildcats in a holiday battle at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at at State Farm Arena. Kentucky does have the home-court advantage, but N. Carolina is expected to win by 1.5 points.

After a string of three wins, N. Carolina's good fortune finally ran out last Tuesday. They fell 87-76 to the Huskies. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points N. Carolina has scored all season.

Despite their loss, N. Carolina saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. RJ Davis, who scored 26 points, was perhaps the best of all. The game was Davis' fifth in a row with at least 22.4 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Harrison Ingram, who scored 20 points along with five assists.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats strolled past the Quakers with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 81-66.

Kentucky can attribute much of their success to Aaron Bradshaw, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. Reed Sheppard was another key contributor, scoring six points along with five rebounds and three steals.

The Tar Heels' loss dropped their record down to 7-2. As for the Wildcats, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: N. Carolina haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 10.1 turnovers per game. However, it's not like Kentucky (currently ranked fifth in turnovers per game) struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 8.9 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

N. Carolina was pulverized by Kentucky 98-69 in their previous matchup back in December of 2021. Can N. Carolina avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

Kentucky is a slight 1.5-point favorite against N. Carolina, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Wildcats as a 1-point favorite.


The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 164 points.

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Series History

Kentucky has won 3 out of their last 5 games against N. Carolina.

  • Dec 18, 2021 - Kentucky 98 vs. N. Carolina 69
  • Dec 19, 2020 - N. Carolina 75 vs. Kentucky 63
  • Dec 22, 2018 - Kentucky 80 vs. N. Carolina 72
  • Mar 26, 2017 - N. Carolina 75 vs. Kentucky 73
  • Dec 17, 2016 - Kentucky 103 vs. N. Carolina 100