Happy Holidays from the College Hoops Gods!
9th ranked North Carolina and 19th ranked Kentucky will face off Saturday at 5:15 pm in the annual CBS Sports Classic – an event that features some of the winningest programs in college hoops history.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game:
Game Notes:
- Carolina is 3-1 in the CBS Sports Classic. UNC beat Ohio State, 82-74, on 12/20/14 in Chicago; beat UCLA, 89-76, on 12/19/15 in Brooklyn; lost to Kentucky, 103-100, on 12/17/16 in Las Vegas; and beat Ohio State, 86-72, on 12/23/17 in New Orleans.
- The last time these two teams met was in the 2017 NCAA South Region title game. Sophomore forward Luke Maye hit a jump shot with 0.3 seconds to play to give No. 1 seed North Carolina a 75-73 win over No. 2 seed Kentucky. The win advanced the Tar Heels to the Final Four in Arizona, where UNC beat Oregon and Gonzaga to win the 2017 NCAA championship
- Carolina is 24-15 all-time against Kentucky with eight wins in the last 13 meetings.
- Carolina is the only school in the country with 10 or more wins and a winning record against Kentucky.
- Carolina and Kentucky enter the game with 250 combined NCAA Tournament wins (126 Kentucky, 124 Carolina). No other game in college basketball history has included teams with as many combined NCAA Tournament wins as today’s UNC-UK game in Chicago.
- Carolina is 12-5 against Kentucky at neutral sites.
- Roy Williams is 8-6 against Kentucky at North Carolina and 9-9 overall.
- This is the 24th time Carolina has played the Cats as a top-10 team in the AP poll. The Tar Heels are 14-9 in those games.
Key to the Game:
Kentucky is hungry for a signature win so expect them to come out strong to start the game. UNC will have to weather that storm and limit the Wildcats in the paint. Kentucky is led by big men PJ Washington and Reid Travis who average about 14 points per game each. On the flip side, post play is an area that Roy Williams has been very vocal about wanting to see improvement. The Tar Heels have the size to matchup with Kentucky down low, but do they have the talent? Play in this area will be the key to today’s game. Expect Washington and Travis to challenge Luke Maye when he’s guarding them and attempt to get Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley into foul trouble. If these guys can hold their own down low, the Tar Heels will walk away victorious.
How to Watch:
TV: CBS (Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery, Jamie Erdahl) RADIO: Tar Heel Sports Properties (Jones Angell, Eric Montross)
SATELLITE RADIO: Sirius 105, XM 193, Internet 955
LIVESTREAM: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
