KSR Gameday: Kentucky looks for rematch win at Arkansas

Ark-181103 — Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

It all comes down to this, one final game in the regular season for the Kentucky Wildcats, a head-to-head battle in Fayetteville vs. Arkansas.

It’s a rematch against the Razorbacks, who earned an 88-73 blowout in Lexington back on February 7, shooting 62.7% overall and 44.4% from three in the win. Arkansas scored 47 points on 72% shooting overall in the second half, with Ricky Council IV and Anthony Black combining for 25 points in the final 20 minutes — the former going for 20 overall and the latter scoring 19 in the win.

For Kentucky, freshman standout Cason Wallace led the way with 24 points (10-17 FG) to go with five assists, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 39 minutes. Chris Livingston added 13 points and five rebounds, while Jacob Toppin and Antonio Reeves added 11 points apiece.

What do you need to know about the Razorbacks overall? Council IV leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game while shooting 45.9% from the field and 28.4% from three. Back from injury, freshman standout Nick Smith Jr. is second on the team with 12.8 points on 38.7% shooting, 33.3% from three and 81.1% at the line. Black is right behind with 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per contest.

As a team, Arkansas is averaging 74.7 points on 48.0% shooting, 32.1% from three and 69.2% at the line. It’ll be a battle of elite offense vs. elite defense, with the Razorbacks ranked No. 11 overall in defensive efficiency and the Wildcats ranked No. 16 in offensive efficiency.

Kentucky’s Team Sheet – March 4

Quad 1: 5-7 (1 game left – at Arkansas)
Quad 2: 5-0 (0 game left)
Quad 3: 3-2 (0 games left)
Quad 4: 6-1 (0 games left)

How to Watch, Listen

It’ll be another Saturday afternoon with the sweet sounds of the CBS jingle to get you ready for March Madness, one final nationally televised broadcast to wrap up the regular season. Here’s how to watch, listen and follow along:

Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, AR)
TV: CBS – Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst)
Stream: CBS Sports, CBS Sports App
Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jack Givens), 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio
Satellite: Sirius 81, SXM App 81

The KSR Pregame Show will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET live from KSBar and Grille. Join the guys or tune into 630 WLAP on iHeart Radio to hear all of the action.

Vegas, Computers

Arkansas (-210) opened as a 4.5-point favorite over Kentucky (+180), which was quickly bet up to -5.5 before settling in at -5 in favor of the Razorbacks as of this morning. The over/under opened at 143.5 before dropping as low as 140.5 and now holding firm at 141.0.

Overall, Arkansas is 15-14-1 against the spread overall and 6-4-0 in its last 10 while Kentucky is 14-16-0 overall and also 6-4 in that same stretch. The Wildcats were on a four-game winning streak against the spread before falling short against the Commodores on Wednesday.

The computers also favor the Razorbacks, as ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Kentucky just a 30.3% chance to pull off the road win. KenPom favors the home team, as well, giving the Wildcats a 34% chance to win while predicting a 75-70 final score in favor of the Razorbacks. Bart Torvik also likes Arkansas, predicting a 75-69 loss (+5.8) with a 28% chance for the UK to leave with the upset.

Statistical comparison

Bruiser Flint previews Arkansas

No, Kentucky’s head coach didn’t preview the final regular season game of the year, but the associate to the head coach did — on Zoom, no less.

What is the latest on Cason Wallace and CJ Fredrick? How have the Wildcats responded following their loss to Vanderbilt on Senior Night? What did the team learn from its first matchup with the Razorbacks? Bruiser Flint broke it all down Friday afternoon.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Updated SEC standings

TEAM	CONFERENCE	GAMES BACK	OVERALL
Alabama	16-1	—	26-4
Texas A&M	14-3	2	22-8
Tennessee	11-6	5	11-6
Kentucky	11-6	5	20-10
Missouri	10-7	6	22-8
Vanderbilt	10-7	6	17-13
Auburn	9-8	7	19-11
Mississippi State	8-9	8	20-10
Arkansas	8-9	8	19-11
Florida	8-9	8	15-15
Georgia	6-11	10	16-14
Ole Miss	3-14	13	11-19
South Carolina	3-14	13	10-20
LSU	2-15	14	13-17

SEC Tournament seeding scenarios

When will Kentucky play in the SEC Tournament? Well, it’s complicated. And it all depends on how this afternoon unfolds, with three games set to determine the Wildcats’ seeding fate.

In short, it’ll be the No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 in Nashville.

No. 3 Seed (double-bye)

Kentucky wins at Arkansas
Kentucky loses at Arkansas, Missouri loses vs. Ole Miss, Tennessee loses at Auburn

No. 4 Seed (double-bye)

Kentucky loses at Arkansas, Missouri wins vs. Ole Miss, Tennessee loses at Auburn
Kentucky loses at Arkansas, Missouri loses vs. Ole Miss, Tennessee loses at Auburn

No. 5 Seed (single-bye)

Kentucky loses at Arkansas, Missouri wins vs. Ole Miss, Tennessee wins at Auburn

Tennessee takes on Auburn at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by Missouri vs. Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Kentucky WBB’s postseason magic ends

Kyra Elzy and the Kentucky women’s basketball team flirted with another magical run in the SEC Tournament, winning back-to-back matchups vs. Florida and Alabama to advance to the quarterfinals in Greenville. The Wildcats, last in the conference with the No. 14 seed, already exceeded expectations.

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And then it had No. 3 seed Tennessee in a two-possession game with 39 seconds remaining with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

The Volunteers jumped out to an 11-2 lead and later pushed it to 17 points with 4:02 to go in the second, a clear opportunity for the Wildcats to let go of the rope. Instead, Kentucky cut it to eight at the half and then had it down to three in the final seconds of the third. It was down to four with 7:57 to go, six with 5:52 and four in the final minute, but Elzy’s group just couldn’t close out the upset effort.

Robyn Benton led the way with 20 points (8-21 FG, 2-7 3PT), followed by Maddie Scherr with 13 (5-11 FG), Jada Walker with 12 (5-14 FG) and Ajae Petty with 11 (3-4 FG, 5-5 FT). As a team, the Wildcats shot 38% from the field, 34.8% from the field and 75% at the line while the Volunteers shot 46.4% overall, 36.4% from three and 92.3% at the line.

Kentucky closes out its season with a 12-19 final record, certain to miss the NCAA Tournament in Elzy’s third season as head coach.

Will Levis set to throw at NFL Combine

It won’t be all basketball today, as former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is set to prove himself as the No. 1 quarterback in the NFL Draft at the 2023 Scouting Combine. Levis will join C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), and Anthony Richardson (Florida) in a passing workout at Lucas Oil Stadium — Bryce Young (Alabama) is the only projected top-10 QB pick not participating — where he looks to prove he’s got the best arm of the bunch.

Why is he going through the workout?

“Because I got a cannon,” Levis told reporters at the Indiana Convention Center. “I’m gonna show it off.”

What separates the former Kentucky standout from his peers? Why does Levis believe he should be selected ahead of Young, Stroud and Richardson?

“Physically, I think my arm talent. I think I’ve got one of the stronger arms that’s come out of any class in recent memory,” Levis said. “And then who I am as a person, kind of my morals what I stand for, my values. I think that’s kind of been the most beneficial thing for me to be able to share with these coaches throughout these formal and informal interviews to get them to know me as a person.

“Get them to kind of understand how seriously I take every aspect of my life and letting them know how much I love ball. I’m able to use those values and those morals to make me the best person — in the locker room and on the field — as possible.”

KSR has boots on the ground in Indianapolis covering the former Wildcat’s path to No. 1 status in the draft. We’ll see how he performs later today.