LIVE BLOG: Kentucky vs. NC Central
It’s time to turn the page from Friday’s ugly loss to Gonzaga. KSR’s LIVE BLOG will bring you all the sights and sounds from Rupp Arena as Kentucky hosts North Carolina Central (7:00 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Kentucky is now 5-4, losing all four of its games against ranked opponents. Tonight, they’ll face the worst team on their schedule. NC Central is 3-8 this season and ranked No. 350 in KenPom. The Eagles also played North Carolina, losing 97-53 on Nov. 14 in Chapel Hill. It’s one of three games this season vs. Power Four opponents, all losses by an average margin of 37 points. The Eagles are led by Gage Lattimore, who is averaging 19.5 points per game and has hit 35 three-pointers.
Tonight’s game probably won’t ease fans’ concerns too much, but it’s a good opportunity for the team to find its footing and get back in the win column. Refresh the feed below for updates, and KSR’s takes on the game from Rupp Arena and the couch. You can also join the conversation on the KSBoard Game Thread.
Special thanks to our live blog sponsor this season, Friends of Coal.
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FINAL: Kentucky 103, NC Central 67
12/09/2025 07:44:55 PMKentucky is back in the win column with a 103-67 victory over NC Central. Jasper Johnson led the Cats with a career-high 22 points, followed by Otega Oweh with a season-high 21 points.
The feel-good night was capped with a three by Zach Tow, his first field goal as a Cat.
Walker Horn and Zach Tow time!
12/09/2025 07:42:34 PMWith a minute and a half to go, the walk-ins are in. Time for Walker Horn and Zach Tow to pad their stats.
Otega Oweh pushes Kentucky’s lead to 33
12/09/2025 07:33:50 PMOtega Oweh had a nice break on the bench but came back in with a vengeance. This slam capped off a 7-0 Kentucky run to put the Cats up 33 with 4:15 to go. Oweh has 21 points on 9-12 shooting and 7 rebounds, his most assertive performance of the season.
7:47 2H: Kentucky 84, NC Central 52
12/09/2025 07:25:46 PMKentucky’s lead is now 32, the Cats fully in control. After Otega Oweh got things rolling to start the second half (he has a season-high 19 points on 8-10 FG), Jasper Johnson has followed suit. The freshman has a career-high 17 points on 4-8 from the field and 8-8 from the free-throw line.
Kam Williams checks in too
12/09/2025 07:16:14 PMKam Williams has also checked in. Both he and Lowe missed the first half and were reportedly running stairs in yesterday’s open practice. Did that punishment carry over to the first half? We’ll ask Mark Pope after the game.
Until then, enjoy this clip of Trent Noah hustling after a loose ball, getting it, and dishing it to Malachi Moreno for the slam.
Jaland Lowe checks in
12/09/2025 07:11:13 PMJaland Lowe is going to play tonight after all. The point guard just checked in at the 14:32 mark of the second half. ESPN said he was questionable for this game, but participated in shootaround. With Kentucky up 20, Lowe will get some minutes.
Otega Oweh dunk!
12/09/2025 07:10:01 PMIt’s more of the same so far in the second half. NC Central’s still making shots, outscoring Kentucky by one since intermission, but this tip-in dunk by Otega Oweh got a pop from the crowd. Oweh’s up to 16 points so far, with plenty of time to go.
14:33 2H: Kentucky 64, NC Central 44
Pope fired up at half
12/09/2025 06:56:53 PMKentucky leads by 21, but Mark Pope is not satisfied. He told UK Sports Network that his team continues to have too many defensive breakdowns and needs to guard better. If he was that upset on the court, I can only imagine what he said in the locker room.
HALFTIME: Kentucky 52, NC Central 31
12/09/2025 06:42:40 PMTechnically true: UK leads by 21 points while shooting 59.4 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three and 88.9 percent at the line. The Cats are scoring 1.486 points per possession and scoring on 65.7 percent of possessions with 12 assists on 19 made field goals with just four turnovers.
Also true: Kentucky should be leading by more and it’s still not beautiful basketball, especially against the No. 350 team in college basketball — who looks every bit of it.
Otega Oweh leads all scorers with 12 points and six rebounds, followed by Trent Noah with 11 points and a trio of 3-pointers, Jasper Johnson with seven, Denzel Aberdeen and Malachi Moreno with six, Brandon Garrison with five, Andrija Jelavic with three and Collin Chandler with two.
The Eagles are shooting just 38.7 percent overall and 28.6 percent from three with Khouri Carvey the only player with 10-plus points. Star Gage Lattimore has been limited to just two points on 1-10 shooting and 0-4 from three.
A 24-point lead and a 16-0 run
12/09/2025 06:35:15 PMIt hasn’t been the prettiest thing in the world, but Kentucky leads 47-23 with four minutes to go in the first half. That’s mostly because NC Central is terrible, but we’ll take it however we can get it at this point.
The Cats are now shooting 65.4 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from three and 100 percent at the line. They’re also finally outrebounding the Eagles after a slow start while also forcing eight turnovers, leading to 14 points the other way.
And no Kam Williams, either…
12/09/2025 06:29:26 PMThrough 14 minutes we have no sign of either Lowe or Kam Williams. Interestingly enough, both players had to run stairs in practice on Monday. We have no clue if there is a connection there, but it’s worth noting. The rotation is stuck at eight for now.
Kentucky leads 36-23 with 6:09 to go in the first half.
Still no Jaland Lowe…
12/09/2025 06:20:22 PMMidway through the first half, we still have not seen Jaland Lowe on the floor despite making it through his first game since the Louisville loss against Gonzaga. He played 14 minutes in that one and Pope said during his call-in show Monday night his shoulder responded well with no obvious setbacks.
SEC Network commentators said he was officially listed as questionable and went through shootaround, but Lowe sure doesn’t appear to be someone who plans on taking the floor tonight.
11:56 1H: Kentucky 14, NC Central 10
12/09/2025 06:14:14 PMThis isn’t as pretty as it should be, Kentucky shooting just 28.6 percent from three with three turnovers while giving up four offensive rebounds to keep this competitive — even with NC Central shooting just 26.7 percent overall and 22.2 percent from three.
Otega Oweh has five points and four rebounds, followed by Trent Noah with three and Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler and Malachi Moreno with two apiece.
Two-big lineup with BG and Malachi Moreno
12/09/2025 06:11:50 PMMark Pope said we’d see some lineup tweaks to get ready for Jayden Quaintance’s return, and now, we are getting to see some of it. Trent Noah got the start, but the first sub off the bench to pair with Malachi Moreno? Brandon Garrison.
15:16 1H Kentucky 10, NC Central 7
12/09/2025 06:08:02 PMKentucky is shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three compared to 37.5 percent overall and 33.3 percent from deep for NC Central.
The Cats have given up three offensive rebounds, but have forced three turnovers.
No slow starts today!
12/09/2025 06:02:36 PMAnd just like that, Kentucky leads 5-0 just 45 seconds into the game following a quick 3-pointer from Trent Noah, followed by a lay-in from Collin Chandler.
Won’t be nine minutes without a bucket in this one, thankfully.
A change in the starting lineup
12/09/2025 05:52:34 PMMark Pope is switching things up for the ‘Cats tonight. Out goes Kam Williams, in goes Trent Noah.
Mo Dioubate out
12/09/2025 05:31:44 PMThe Cats will take on NC Central without Mo Dioubate. Dioubate is not participating in warmups and is set to miss his fifth straight game as he works back from a high ankle sprain he suffered in the loss to Michigan State. On Monday, Pope described Dioubate’s status as “day to day.” Dioubate reportedly told fans at yesterday’s BBN United practice that he is hoping to be back on Saturday for the Indiana game.
Walk & Talk to Rupp Arena
12/09/2025 05:05:29 PMJoin Jack Pilgrim, Zack Geoghegan, and Steven Peake as they walk to Rupp Arena on a very chilly night in Lexington. Coming off the Gonzaga loss, it’ll be interesting to see what tonight’s crowd looks like.
How to Watch, Listen
12/09/2025 12:16:42 PMMatt Schumacker and Richard Hendrix will call the action on the SEC Network. Schumacker is best known for his work on Big Ten and Big East college basketball games. Hendrix played three seasons at Alabama (2005-08) before turning pro. This is his second year calling games on the Worldwide Leader. You can also listen to Tom Leach and Goose Givens on the UK Sports Network.
- Tipoff: 7:00 p.m.
- TV: SEC Network (Matt Schumacker, Richard Hendrix)
- Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
- AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
- FM: 98.1 WBUL
- Online: iHeart Radio
- Sirius XM: 81
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