Kentucky vs. Gonzaga: Preview, Odds, How to Watch

Kentucky got back on track with a blowout win at Vanderbilt, a feel-good performance that saw the Cats score 109 points and take steps forward on the defensive end. But the Commodores are still the Commodores and this group still has plenty to prove before you can comfortably pencil them back in as clear-cut contenders.

That starts Saturday as John Calipari’s squad hosts Gonzaga in a Quad 1 matchup inside Rupp Arena, a revenge opportunity after the Zags got the Cats in Spokane last season. Can the home team earn the statement win this time around? Let’s preview the matchup.

How To Watch

No. 17 Kentucky (16-6) vs. Gonzaga (17-6)
4 p.m. ET | Saturday, Feb. 10 | Rupp Arena

TV: CBS (Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery, Jay Wright)
Streaming: CBSSports.com
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 160 or 190
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Last Five

Kentucky: NET 23, KenPom 24

1/23: 79-62 L at South Carolina
1/27: 63-57 W at Arkansas
1/31: 94-91 L (OT) vs. Florida
2/3: 103-92 L vs. Tennessee
2/6: 109-77 W at Vanderbilt

Gonzaga: NET 25, KenPom 22

1/25: 77-72 W vs. San Francisco
1/27: 82-73 W at Pacific
1/30: 92-58 W vs. Loyola Marymount
2/3: 64-62 L vs. Saint Mary’s
2/7: 96-64 W vs. Portland

Series History

Kentucky had taken on Gonzaga just one time, an 80-72 win for the Cats in the 2002 Maui Invitational. That was in Mark Few’s fourth season leading the Zags. 20 years later, he scheduled the six-year series with John Calipari and Kentucky, one featuring four home games and two neutral site matchups. It started with an 88-72 win for the Bulldogs in Spokane last season, a blowout from start to finish.

Oscar Tshiebwe led the way with 20 points, followed by Jacob Toppin with 16 and Cason Wallace with 14. Rasir Bolton led the Zags with 24, followed by Drew Timme with 22 and Julian Strawther with 20 in the win. None of those six are back for round two of the matchup, this time inside Rupp Arena.

From there, the series will head to Seattle in 2024, followed by Nashville in 2025, back to Lexington in 2026 and out to Spokane again in 2027.

This is the third all-time meeting between programs with four more to go in the coming years.

Kentucky vs. Gonzaga Odds via FanDuel

Spread: Kentucky -4.5
Total: 167.5

Kentucky Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#15 – Reed Sheppard
6-3 • 187 • GUARD • FRESHMAN
12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.2 APG

#12 – Antonio Reeves
6-6 • 195 • GUARD • SENIOR
19.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG

#1 – Justin Edwards
6-8 • 203 • GUARD • FRESHMAN
8.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG

#3 – Adou Thiero
6-8 • 222 • FORWARD • SOPHOMORE
6.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.0 APG

#2 – Ugonna Onyenso
7-1 • 226 • FORWARD • FRESHMAN
3.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.7 BPG

Head Coach: John Calipari (32nd season, 15th at UK) – 848-259 overall, 403-119 at UK

Gonzaga Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#0 – Ryan Nembhard
6-0 • 175 • GUARD • JUNIOR
12.4 PPG, 5.7 APG, 1.1 SPG

#11 – Nolan Hickman
6-2 • 183 • GUARD • JUNIOR
13.0 PPG, 2.5 APG, 2.1 RPG

#22 – Anton Watson
6-8• 228 • FORWARD • SENIOR
14.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG

#13 – Graham Ike
6-9 • 240 • FORWARD • JUNIOR
15.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG

#33 – Ben Gregg
6-10 • 230 • FORWARD • JUNIOR
8.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG

Head Coach: Mark Few (25th season at Gonzaga, 25th overall): 706-141 overall

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

Kentucky has not played a single game at full strength this season.
SEC Freshman of the Week, Rob Dillingham, is averaging 25.0 points and 5.7 assists per game over his last three games played. He’s connecting on 59.2% from the field and 61.9% from 3-point range.
Against Vanderbilt, UK used its eighth different starting lineup this season and the fifth unique lineup in five outings.
Kentucky scored 109 points at Vanderbilt. It was the most points ever scored on the road by a John Calipari-coached squad. Two players, Justin Edwards (17) and Jordan Burks (13), scored career-highs in the win.

Pregame Storylines

THE REVENGE GAME

The entire college basketball world had its eyes on the debut matchup of this series, two top-five teams going head-to-head to begin the six-year pairing. The big-name home-and-home schedule was unique and fresh, especially under John Calipari. And the buzz backed that up leading up to the game.

And then Gonzaga jumped out to a 16-point halftime lead before closing with an 88-72 win, controlling things essentially from start to finish. Kentucky got it down to four with 13 minutes to go, but couldn’t flip the momentum enough to pull ahead and turn the comeback into a reality. Instead, the Cats let go of the rope late, allowing the Zags to go up 19 in the final seconds before it closed at 16.

It was a major letdown in Spokane, the second loss in three games for Kentucky to open the season 3-2. That left a bad taste in the program’s mouth and set the tone for an up-and-down season for the Cats. They now have a chance to return the favor.

WHAT ABOUT DJ WAGNER AND TRE MITCHELL?

Kentucky has not yet played a game at full strength this season, now missing both Wagner and Mitchell from the starting lineup — two of the Wildcats’ most valuable pieces. Neither played at Vanderbilt and John Calipari did not have an update on their availability against Gonzaga during his call-in radio show Wednesday evening. Practice the day before a game is typically the best status indicator, Coach Cal setting a pretty firm no practice, no play rule during his time in Lexington. If they can’t give it a go this afternoon, chances are solid they won’t be available Saturday, either.

WELCOME TO LEXINGTON, NOLAN HICKMAN

Remember when the Cats landed a surprise commitment from a relatively unknown four-star point guard out of Seattle in August 2020? It came out of nowhere at a time when in-person visits were banned due to COVID-19 restrictions, Hickman becoming Kentucky’s first pledge of the 2021 recruiting class before signing with the program later that fall. Then he became the first player to ever ask for his release under Coach Cal, ultimately signing with Gonzaga — the closest school to home. Now in his third season with the Zags, Hickman is making his first trip to Lexington, the city he first expected to call his college basketball home way back when.

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Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with a Rapid Reaction live from Rupp Arena on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’ll also have wall-to-wall postgame coverage on the website, including highlights, comments from John Calipari and the players, stats, and takeaways.

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