This Week in Kentucky Basketball: ACC/SEC Challenge

If your head is still spinning from the weekend that is totally understandable. Your Kentucky Wildcats football team came from behind to defeat the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. After the game, Coach Mark Stoops was reported to be heading to Texas A&M. Then, he wasn’t. Into the wee hours of Sunday morning, Big Blue Nation was glued to Twitter and message boards as news tumbled in. When you add all of that into what was already a busy Thanksgiving weekend it is bound to give you a case of the Mondays.

However, we are back to work and the Kentucky Basketball team is back in action. On Tuesday evening the Miami Hurricanes come to Rupp Arena for the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

On the hardwood, the ‘Cats are coming off an exciting week. Last Monday was likely a little too exciting for most fans as Kentucky went to overtime with Saint Joseph’s before winning 96-88. However, they bounced back with a 118-82 victory on Friday over Marshall. This team has been putting on an offensive clinic this season and the metrics back that up. Over at KenPom, the Wildcats rank sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency. Furthermore, they are playing at the 16th fastest offensive pace in the country but are turning it over the least. Coach John Calipari has fully embraced the three-point shot as well. Kentucky is fourth nationally shooting 42.5% from deep on a very high volume. There is simply no denying that this team is fun to watch.

As we do each Monday, it is time to take a look ahead at the week as it pertains to the Kentucky Basketball program. We will highlight the biggest storyline currently surrounding the team, quickly preview the week’s upcoming opponents, and take a broader look around the Southeastern Conference. Finally, in a new segment this season, we will give out a few of Brandon’s Best Bets. By the way, we are 8-0 to start the year in those picks! Let’s dive into another edition of This Week in Kentucky Basketball.

Top Kentucky Basketball Storyline: Marquee Non-Conference Opponent

For many folks, there are a few different eras of Kentucky Basketball under Coach John Calipari. There is the 2010-2015 run that is unlike almost anything we’ve seen in modern college basketball. There were five Elite Eights, four Final Fours, two Finals, and a National Championship in a six-year span. Then, there is 2016-2020 which was still very good. However, the ‘Cats never made it to the Final Four in that span which left the Big Blue Nation wanting more. Finally, there is everything that has happened since the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled. The Wildcats went 9-16 in 2021, lost to #15 seed Saint Peter’s in 2022, and were bounced in the Round of 32 in 2023. Even Coach Calipari admitted that the program hasn’t been “Kentucky good” of late.

Part of being “Kentucky good” is winning marquee matchups. The ‘Cats are no stranger to playing big-time non-conference opponents. Every year the lead-up to Southeastern Conference play is littered with some of the best teams in college basketball. This season is certainly no different. Kentucky has already played, at the time, #1 Kansas in the Champions Classic falling 89-84. Now, they are set to take on the Miami Hurricanes as part of the new ACC/SEC Challenge. There is no such thing as a must-win game on November 28th, but for some Tuesday’s contest will be pretty darn close to that. Since the tournament was canceled in 2020, Kentucky is just 4-11 in games against power conference schools outside of the SEC (regular season only).

Big Blue Nation is not interested in moral victories. The loss to Kansas came about as close to one as you can get as a Kentucky fan. However, that was on a neutral floor against one of the best teams in the country. Miami is very good, but they aren’t Kansas. Also, this matchup will be a Rupp Arena. Morale around the program is high due to the revamped offense and style of play. That can go away in a hurry though with a loss on Tuesday. For an early season, non-conference game this contest against the Hurricanes carries a lot of weight.

This Week in Kentucky Basketball: Miami Hurricanes & UNC Wilmington Seahawks

If you think Kentucky has been shooting the lights out go watch Miami. They are even better from beyond the arc, leading the country at 45.8%. Wooga Poplar is an incredible 19-32 from three so far this season while both Bensley Joseph and Matthew Cleveland are also at or above 50%. That doesn’t even include Nijel Pack who is probably the best shooter on the Hurricanes. The veteran guard is 39.3% from deep which is somehow only fourth-best on the team. Similar to the Wildcats, the Hurricanes are well-balanced with all five starters averaging in double-figures. They are going to play fast and feature a 5-out offense that will look familiar to Kentucky fans. If you are a fan of offense, Tuesday’s game is going to be for you.

After the marquee matchup with Miami on Tuesday the Wildcats can ill-afford a letdown on Saturday. UNC Wilmington is a very good team that could win the CAA this season. The Seahawks are led by one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the country in Coach Takayo Siddle. They will look to grind it out much more than the Wildcats’ recent opponents but still feature plenty of talent. Guys like Shykeim Phillips, Maleeck Harden-Hayes, and Trazarien White are all high-major caliber players. UNC Wilmington is currently 5-1 with a game against East Carolina to come on Thursday before heading to Lexington. These are two quality opponents this week as Kentucky continues to ramp up to conference play.

Around the Southeastern Conference

We are about to learn a lot about the Southeastern Conference this week as all 14 teams go against stiff ACC competition. However, here is where things stand heading into the week.

• Mississippi State still won’t REALLY get tested this week as they head to Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs have solid wins over Arizona State, Washington State, and Northwestern, all on neutral floors, but have yet to play a KenPom Top 50 opponent. They are 6-0 and appear to be one of the best defensive teams in the country. Most impressively, they are doing all of this without SEC Player of the Year candidate Tolu Smith.
• It was a rough week for the Tennessee Volunteers, but only on paper. The Maui Invitational field was historically stacked and Coach Rick Barnes got the brunt end of it. After defeating Syracuse on Monday, the Vols played #2 Purdue and #1 Kansas on back-to-back nights losing by four and nine points respectively. Tennessee proved themselves as a Top 10 team, but still left the island 1-2.
• Texas A&M ran into a buzzsaw losing to Florida Atlantic 96-89 in the ESPN Events Invitational semifinals, but bounced back to defeat Iowa State 73-69. Wade Taylor IV is playing like a potential First-Team All-American and the Aggies are leading the nation in offensive rebounding. Coach Buzz Williams will have his group tested on Wednesday night as they travel to Virginia.
• Not much is new with Coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide. Alabama has the best offense in the country per KenPom led by 43% three-point shooting. On Friday they shot just 9-30 and it led to a loss against Ohio State. However, they bounced back and defeated Oregon 99-91 the following night.
• As discussed above, your Kentucky Basketball team is humming along offensively as well. The three-point shooting is something we simply haven’t seen under Coach Calipari. UK is currently 69th nationally in three-point rate, 18th in three-point scoring distribution, and fourth in three-point percentage. That’ll get put to the test on Tuesday against the Miami Hurricanes.
• It was a less-than-stellar trip to the Bahamas for Coach Musselman and the Razorbacks. After losing to UNC Greensboro back on the 17th, they squeaked out a double overtime win over Stanford to begin their trip. Then, Arkansas fell to Memphis and North Carolina on back-to-back nights. Most importantly, Tramon Mark suffered a serious back injury. He was released from the hospital and returned to Fayetteville with the team, but his status going forward is unknown.

Brandon’s Best Bets

This new segment has started out with a bang going 8-0 across the first three Mondays of the college basketball season. As always all lines are presented by our friends at FanDuel. Let’s find some winners and cash some tickets together once again.

• Northern Illinois +13 – The Huskies are a good team. They play at a very fast pace and are good offensively. David Colt is no Bo Buie, but he is a legitimate playmaker and 6’11” Yanic Konan Niederhauser will bang around with Matthew Nicholson inside. Northwestern just doesn’t have the offensive firepower to beat a team as good as Northern Illinois by double-figures. Don’t be surprised if this is a game at the final media timeout.
• Washington State -11.5 – Washington State lost by 10 to Mississippi State but has blown out its other opponents this season. This will be Eastern Washington’s fifth power conference opponent and it hasn’t gone well in the previous matchups. Coach Kyle Smith’s defense will make it difficult for the Eagles to score. This one could end up being a 20+ point victory for the Cougars.