Kentucky vs. NC Central: Preview, Odds & How to Watch

Well, here we go, I guess. Kentucky desperately needs a feel-good win, but really, it needs to come against name-brand competition, and that’s not possible until Indiana comes to town on Saturday. Until then, North Carolina Central is here to help us pass the time at Rupp Arena, the 3-8 Eagles coming off a 15-point loss to North Carolina A&T in Lexington to take their beating and move on.

Ranked No. 350 out of 365 teams in KenPom, what do you need to know about tonight’s opponent as the Wildcats hope to get back in the win column after taking one of the worst losses in program history in Nashville? KSR has everything you need to know as we approach tipoff.

How To Watch/Listen to Kentucky vs. NC Central

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

You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before tipoff, and join the conversation on KSBoard.

Take advantage of our KSR+ Introductory Offer to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. $1 for 2 days. Join the most vibrant online community in the BBN during Mark Pope’s second season.

Season Rewind

Kentucky: KenPom 20

11/4: 77-51 W vs. Nicholls
11/7: 107-59 W vs. Valparaiso
11/11: 96-88 L at No. 12 Louisville
11/14: 99-53 W vs. Eastern Illinois
11/18: 83-66 L vs. No. 17 Michigan State
11/21: 88-46 W vs. Loyola (Md.)
11/26: 104-54 W vs. Tennessee Tech
12/2: 67-64 L vs. No. 16 North Carolina
12/5: 94-59 L vs. No. 11 Gonzaga

NC Central: KenPom 350

11/3: 114-66 L at NC State
11/7: 81-62 L at Virginia
11/9: 76-54 L at Appalachian State
11/12: 77-61 W vs. Bluefield State
11/14: 97-53 L at North Carolina
11/18: 123-67 W vs. Toccoa Falls
11/22: 74-55 L at Dayton
11/25: 82-67 L at USC Upstate
11/29: 109-61 W vs. Carolina
12/3: 67-62 L at James Madison
12/6: 69-54 L vs. North Carolina A&T

Series History

Kentucky and North Carolina Central have never met, making this the third first-time opponent of the season for the Wildcats, joining Nicholls and Eastern Illinois.

Mark Pope has never taken on NC Central at either of his prior stops, nor has LaVelle Moton faced off against UK in his 17 years of coaching.

Kentucky vs. NC Central Odds

Kentucky opened as a 38.5-point favorite against NC Central, but since then, the spread has ballooned to 44.5 in favor of the Wildcats, according to our friends at BetMGM. The total is 146.5, giving us a projected final score of 95.5-51.

As for the computers, KenPom is calling for a 31-point win. Bart Torvik projects a final score of 89-55. Kentucky is 4-5 against the spread (ATS) this season, but 4-1 against lesser competition, covering in every matchup but the opener vs. Nicholls.

Thanks to Friends of Coal for powering KSR’s game day coverage.

Kentucky Potential Starters

#1 – Denzel Aberdeen
6-5 – 195 – GUARD – SENIOR
12.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.3 APG

#5 – Collin Chandler
6-5 – 205 – GUARD – SOPHOMORE
11.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.4 APG

#00 – Otega Oweh
6-4 – 215 – GUARD – SENIOR
13.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.6 APG

#3 – Kam Williams
6-8 – 205 – GUARD – SOPHOMORE
4.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.1 APG

#24 – Malachi Moreno
7-0 – 250 – CENTER – FRESHMAN
9.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.7 APG

NC Central Potential Starters

#2 – Dionte Johnson
6-0 – 190 – GUARD – SENIOR
5.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.8 APG, 3.3 SPG

#11 – Gage Lattimore
6-2 – 190 – GUARD – SOPHOMORE
19.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.6 APG

#5 – Tekao Carpenter
6-3 – 190 – GUARD – SENIOR
5.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.4 APG

#13 – Jonathan Dunn
6-7 – 245 – FORWARD – REDSHIRT JUNIOR
4.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.5 APG

#7 – Khouri Carvey
6-9 – 230 – FORWARD – SENIOR
14.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.7 APG

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

Otega Oweh has scored in double figures in all nine games with a season-high 16 points in each of the Wildcats’ last three outings. Oweh has reached double figures in 42 of 45 games during his time at Kentucky.
UK has had seven different leading scorers or co-leaders through the first nine games.
In addition to Jayden Quaintance missing each of the first nine games, UK has been without Jaland Lowe (six games), Mo Dioubate (four games) and Trent Noah (one game) this season.
The Cats rank 11th in the country and second in the SEC with 30.67 boards per game on the defensive end while pulling down 80.0 percent of opponent misses.

Pregame Storylines

CAN JALAND LOWE FIND HIS GROOVE?

Kentucky needs a quick fix on the offensive end, and a big part of that equation is Lowe finding his footing after so much time off the floor dealing with multiple shoulder injuries. He made his return against Gonzaga as mostly a non-factor, finishing with one point, one rebound, one assist and one turnover in 14 minutes, but the junior point guard is the only obvious answer to the team’s playmaking and facilitating struggles with pace and shot-making also serious issues.

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Can he look like the All-ACC contributor he was a year ago at Pitt, closer to the All-SEC preseason pick he was voted to be going into his debut season as a Wildcat?

“J-Lowe has an incredible talent,” Mark Pope said Monday. “… He has a chance to make a really, really massive, positive impact on the team. The more reps we can get, the more minutes in games and practice, he has a chance to make a big impact.”

HOW LONG UNTIL WE SEE JAYDEN QUAINTANCE?

There isn’t much to be excited about for the Wildcats at this stage, losing all four of the team’s early matchups against name-brand competition with Indiana and St. John’s ahead to wrap up December entering SEC play in January. At some point along the way, though, Kentucky will unleash the beast that is Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance — a likely lottery pick next summer with elite rim protection and athleticism.

“JQ is continuing to make progress,” Pope said. “He’s still a ways away from actually seeing in-game live action, but he’s making tremendous progress. So, you know, those guys are doing pretty well.”

Sources tell KSR he returned to full-contact, 5-on-5 practice for the Wildcats on Monday and his return is coming soon. It may not be this week, but all bets are off from there.

COMMITTING TO CHANGE IN ‘ENERGY AND EFFORT’

The boo birds were loud and proud inside Bridgestone Arena as the Wildcats took a 35-point loss on the chin against Gonzaga. It wasn’t necessarily the production (or lack thereof) but instead the disappointing effort shown by Pope’s group in Nashville.

It’s one thing to lose because you’re not good enough, but it’s another to lose because you don’t care.

“We’re definitely going to make a change,” Denzel Aberdeen said. “As far as our energy and effort coming into these games, they haven’t been where they’re supposed to be, but we’re definitely going to make a jump from now on forward.”

UNDERGOING A ‘MAJOR OVERHAUL’

It’s not just effort that’s getting fixed — Pope says they’re changing their identity completely after four straight disappointing losses against serious competition.

They haven’t had much fun doing it, but it’s been necessary.

“Well, it’s been rough,” he said. “It’s a major overhaul, reconstruction. It’s been super emotional and really taxing, and at times, really ugly and violent and growing and crying and all the stuff. There’s a certain amount of gnashing of teeth that goes on when you’re not functioning well, the way that we should. So it’s been really challenging, exactly as it should be, and it’s a fight.”

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during the game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates as your eyes and ears in Lexington while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).

Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

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

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