KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. Clemson

Following the big win over Duke, Kentucky cruised to four straight blowouts in the friendly confines of Rupp Arena. Tonight, the competition steps up considerably. At 9:30 p.m., the No. 4 Cats take on the Clemson Tigers in Littlejohn Coliseum, the nightcap of Day 1 of the SEC/ACC Challenge.

How will the Cats respond in their first true road game of the season? Oddsmakers have them as a slight favorite, just 1.5 points. Clemson went to the Elite Eight last season but lost seven members from that squad. The Tigers are 7-1, their only loss coming on the road to Boise State. They’re led by Chase Hunter (16.4 points per game) and Ian Schieffelin (11.6 rebounds per game).

Will Kentucky pass its first true road test? The KSR crew is ready to weigh in.

Tyler Thompson

Clemson is not the same squad that made it to the Elite Eight last season, but this should still be a good test for Kentucky. After feasting on cupcakes, it’s time to see what this team does in a rowdy road environment vs. a team they might face in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Based on my limited scouting, Clemson is physical, can shoot the three, and will challenge Kentucky on the boards. The Cats showed some fight (literally) last week vs. Georgia State after another physical game vs. Western. Although they were a combined 15-55 from three in those games, I have faith that the threes will start to fall again. The Duke game showed me that this team can weather runs, which will be key if they slip on defense early.

A year ago, this would be a game Kentucky would probably lose. They still could — and it would not be a huge deal — but with all these veterans and growing confidence, I’m going with the Cats to make it 8-0, the best start since the 2014-15 season.

Score: Kentucky 83, Clemson 78

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Zack Geoghegan

The toughest week of Mark Pope‘s short tenure as Kentucky head coach begins tonight. The Wildcats will head to Clemson first as a betting favorite in its first true road game of the season. UK handled the pressure well in Atlanta against Duke, but that was still a mostly BBN-filled crowd. Littlejohn Coliseum — an absolutely hilarious name for a basketball arena — is going to be nothing but orange. Kentucky’s veteran experience should help cancel out some of Clemson’s homecourt advantage, but this is still new territory.

Kentucky is expecting another physical battle in this one. WKU and Georgia State shocked the ‘Cats a bit with their physicality. That shouldn’t be the case tonight. As Tyler mentioned above, Clemson thrives at shooting the ball from deep (albeit on limited volume), pushing the pace, and crashing the glass. This is a top-heavy roster that will go seven, maybe eight players deep at most barring foul trouble. Seniors Chase Hunter (6-3 G) and Ian Schieffelin (6-8 F) are legitimately good players and will give UK fits. 6-11 senior Viktor Lakhin is a problem despite his limited minutes. Clemson has a Top 35 offense and defense in the country through eight games this season.

But Kentucky is simply the deeper and more talented team overall. Brandon Garrison is expected back after missing the previous game for precautionary reasons. The computers are projecting final scores in the mid-70s for both sides. I’ll go with something similar.

Score: Kentucky 79, Clemson 75

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Nick Roush

I’ve admittedly been so deep into Kentucky football #stuff that it was a pleasant surprise when I woke up and remembered Kentucky plays in the historic ACC/SEC Challenge tonight. This will be fun.

The second-half kerfuffle against Georgia State was a good shot in the arm to reset this team’s focus after a few lousy MTE opponents. Even though Kentucky should be locked in, it’s their first true road test. Clemson is going to go on a few runs. It happens. This team has enough maturity to withstand the storm.

We’re due for a big Kentucky three-point shooting night and I think we’re due for a big game from Andrew Carr. He knows this foe from his time in the ACC. During last year’s regular-season finale, Carr had 17 points and 5 rebounds in a win. Two years ago he had 18 points in a revenge spot after a disappointing performance at Littlejohn Coliseum. Carr is poised for a big night to help carry the Cats to a close win.

Score: Kentucky 87, Clemson 83

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Adam Luckett

Clemson wants to play slow and get the ball into the paint. Kentucky wants to play fast and shoot threes. Styles make fights. The team that dictates the pace of the game will leave Littlejohn Coliseum with a Quad 1 win on Tuesday night.

The Tigers have legitimate size at each position that could give Kentucky some problems. Getting Brandon Garrison back to combat that Clemson interior game is significant. The home team’s defense and team rebounding will prevent some issues for Kentucky, but the road team will find a big advantage in transition.

Kentucky’s defense will get enough stops to present transition offense opportunities. That should be enough to squeak out a win. Finding paint points could be difficult against the Tigers. UK’s three-point shot volume is where this game will be won and lost. The Cats pour in enough threes and outlast an ACC home team without a very deep bench.

Clemson builds a first half lead. Kentucky comes storming back in the second half. The Cats make some key free throws late to stay undefeated.

Score: Kentucky 74, Clemson 71

Jack Pilgrim

Clemson is no scoring juggernaut, averaging just 79.4 points per contest against relatively weak competition – Penn State (No. 37), Boise State (No. 48) and San Francisco (No. 62) are the toughest opponents while losing to the Broncos. The Tigers have only broken the 80-point mark against Charleston Southern (No. 300), Saint Francis (No. 321) and Florida A&M (No. 353). They are, however, efficient with the No. 35 overall offense while shooting 39.8 percent from three. Individually, they are long and stout with Chauncey Wiggins (6-10, 216 pounds), Ian Schieffelin (6-8, 240 pounds) and Viktor Lakhin (6-11, 245 pounds) starting at the three, four and five while Chase Hunter (6-4, 202 pounds) is the star of the show at point guard, averaging 16.4 points on 51/47/81 shooting splits. Three players average over 31 minutes per contest while only eight average at least 11, a tight and top-heavy rotation.

It’s a tough, well-coached team – Brad Brownell has 439 career wins and 272 at Clemson – coming off an Elite Eight run. The Wildcats will be tested, especially in a hostile road environment at Littlejohn Coliseum, against a team that will look to slow things down ranked No. 285 in adjusted tempo. The difference? Kentucky’s 38.2 percent from three on 29.1 attempts per contest against the No. 157 3-point defense nationally, the volume and efficiency too much for the Tigers to handle, giving Mark Pope’s squad the hard-fought road victory to move to 8-0 on the year for the first time since 2014-15.

Score: Kentucky 81, Clemson 76

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How to Watch, Listen

No. 4 Kentucky (7-0) vs. Clemson (7-1)
Tues., Dec. 3 | 9:30 PM ET | Littlejohn Coliseum (Clemson, SC)

• TV: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 158 or 190
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tipoff, or join the conversation on KSBoard.