Preview: Kentucky vs. Ohio State

[December 18, 2015]  SportsDirect Inc.
 
 Fourth-ranked Kentucky travels to Brooklyn, N.Y. to face Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, after a week off during which the Wildcats focused on final exams and trying to channel the confidence from the second half of last Saturday's win over Arizona State. Kentucky played a sluggish first half - another inconsistent stretch from one of the country's most inexperienced teams - before pulling away in the final 15 minutes.

The Wildcats have won nine of their first 10 games but have struggled at times, like missing 10 of their first 11 3-point attempts against the Sun Devils last Saturday and getting outrebounded 22-14 in the opening 20 minutes. "We've got talented kids, we've got great kids," Kentucky coach John Calipari told reporters after the game. "They are so young. They don't know what it means to fight." The Buckeyes have won three of their past four after a four-game losing streak, grinding out a 67-54 victory over Northern Illinois on Wednesday. "We know that we have another gear to us, but we've just got to get out of that funk," Ohio State forward Jae'Sean Tate told the media Wednesday.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

ABOUT KENTUCKY (9-1): Three of the Wildcats' top four scorers are freshmen, led by guards Jamal Murray (15.5 points per game on 39.4 percent shooting from the field) and Isaiah Briscoe (12.4 points). Briscoe took over in the second half against Arizona State, scoring nine consecutive points during one stretch, picking up for freshman Skal Labissiere, who averages 10.6 points but went scoreless Saturday. Junior forward Marcus Lee came off the bench Saturday to score 14 points and grab seven rebounds, the third time in the past four games he has finished in double figures scoring with seven or more boards.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (5-5): The freshmen point guard duo of JaQuan Lyle and A.J. Harris has struggled at times to run the offense, but Lyle committed only one turnover with three assists in the second half Wednesday as coach Thad Matta credited him with having "a better demeanor about him in terms of operating the team." Tate posted his second career double-double Wednesday (17 points, 10 rebounds) and has reached double figures scoring seven times in 10 games. Marc Loving leads the Buckeyes in scoring at 15.9 points while Tate averages 12.5 points on 53.9 percent shooting from the field.

TIP-INS

1. Ohio State is 4-0 when outrebounding the opposition and has recorded five or more blocked shots in eight of its past nine games (including seven blocks Wednesday).

2. Murray won SEC freshman of the week honors Monday after averaging 16.5 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists in victories over Eastern Kentucky and Arizona State.

3. Buckeyes F Keita Bates-Diop recorded a double-double Wednesday (14 points, 10 rebounds) and leads Ohio State in free-throw shooting (84.4 percent).

PREDICTION: Kentucky 69, Ohio State 58

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