KSR Staff Predictions: Kentucky vs. Valparaiso

by: KSR13 hours ago

kentucky-vs-valparaiso-ksr-staff-predictions — Kentucky guard Otega Oweh - Crawford Ifland, Kentucky Sports Radio

Kentucky finally gets Jaland Lowe back tonight for Game Two of the BBN United Tipoff Classic, presented by Kentucky Tourism. The Cats will face a Valparaiso squad that beat Eastern Illinois, Kentucky’s third opponent in the multi-team event, 66-63, earlier this week. The Beacons are in their third season under Roger Powell, a former Gonzaga assistant coach; in turn, Valpo runs a similar offense as the Bulldogs, so tonight could be a mini-preview of next month’s clash in Nashville.

This will be the third-ever meeting between Kentucky and Valparaiso, the first coming in the first round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament and the second nine years ago in Rupp Arena, an 87-63 Kentucky victory. The Cats will have Lowe back, but Trent Noah is expected to sit out after rolling his ankle in the season opener. Even so, Kentucky is a 34.5-point favorite.

Will the Cats roll tonight? The KSR crew is ready to weigh in.

Nick Roush

Nobody wanted to hear it because of the way the offense played, but Zack was right. The defense came to play in game one and zipped up Nicholls in the first half. I anticipate another impressive defensive showing, one that opens more eyes because the offense will start cooking with grease.

The last two times we’ve seen the Cats on the court, the threes weren’t falling. I don’t anticipate a barrage with Trent Noah sidelined, but they’ll knock down a dozen, led by Jasper Johnson and Collin Chandler, with Andrija Jelavic finally finding a groove with a make or two. Jaland Lowe will not look crisp, but the offense will look significantly better with a true point guard creating open looks for his teammates.

Score: Kentucky 91, Valpo 58

Drew Franklin

Good news for Big Blue Nation: freshman point guard Jaland Lowe is expected to make his Kentucky debut tonight in Game 2 of the season and the BBN United Tipoff Classic presented by Kentucky Tourism. Lowe’s return should get the offense on track, with everyone sliding into their natural roles after a disjointed few weeks since the Blue-White Game.

With Lowe running the show, expect a much smoother and more efficient night from the Wildcats on both ends of the floor. I’m predicting big performances from Lowe in his debut, Otega Oweh, and Malachi Moreno providing a spark off the bench. Kentucky rolls to 2-0 in Mark Pope’s second year.

Score: Kentucky 89, Valpo 64

Adam Luckett

Valparaiso has finished the last two seasons ranked sub-250 in two-point percentage defense and three-point percentage defense. Yeah, this is the game where Kentucky’s offense gets right.

Jaland Lowe will get plenty of the credit, but this is a bad defensive team that UK is going against, and the scoreboard will reflect that. The Cats pour in 12-plus threes and will get some easier looks in the paint. The offense hums while the defense continues to play good ball.

Kentucky rolls to a big win at Rupp Arena. We will all be on triple-digit watch after the final media timeout when Mark Pope empties the bench.

Score: Kentucky 98, Valpo 60

Tyler Thompson

Finally, we get to see this team with Jaland Lowe. I expect it will take Lowe a bit to knock off the rust, but Kentucky’s offense will still look much better with both him and Denzel Aberdeen on the floor. Collin Chandler will continue to thrive at the two-spot, coming off his breakout second-half performance vs. Nicholls. You don’t have to tell Jasper Johnson to shoot twice, so Kentucky’s dynamic freshman will easily make it into double digits scoring from the outside in.

On the inside, I want to see a big game from Brandon Garrison. Garrison had 13 points in the win over Nicholls and was second to only Collin Chandler in KenPom’s offensive rating. Malachi Moreno is coming for Garrison’s minutes, so these next few games are huge for BG to assert himself. We need him in prime form for Tuesday’s game vs. Louisville.

This should be an easy, breezy night for the Cats. If we continue to see offensive struggles with Lowe back in the lineup, I’ll get a little worried.

Score: Kentucky 92, Valparaiso 60

Zack Geoghegan

Valparaiso scored just 66 points against a poor Eastern Illinois team in its season-opener, missing a ton of three-pointers and free throws along the way. Kentucky’s defense is going to suffocate the Beacons, who will try to chuck up as many threes as possible, even more tonight. UK will hold its opponent to under 60 points for the second straight game to start the season. Lowe’s return won’t harm the Wildcats’ defense in this one.

Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

Even after some time off, Lowe running the show should have Kentucky’s offense humming early. I would be shocked to see another slow start like we did against Nicholls. Will that result in the ‘Cats actually knocking down three-pointers all game? The looks should be cleaner, and better spacing should help create those shots. I still want to see it to believe it first. Shooting over 75 percent from the free-throw line is more important to me right now. Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, and Jasper Johnson have done well as fill-in point guards — they should feel even more comfortable in their natural spots next to Lowe.

Score: Kentucky 85, Valparaiso 58

Jack Pilgrim

Welcome back, Jaland Lowe. You have been missed. Things looked a little better in the second half vs. Nicholls with Denzel Aberdeen running the show, but nothing compares to getting PG1 back, allowing everything else to fall into place right where it should be. Aberdeen and Otega Oweh slide down, Mo Dioubate and Brandon Garrison rounding out the planned day-one starting lineup until Jayden Quaintance is ready to make his debut. It’s all coming together — and we’ll get to see that complete product in a big-time win for the Cats on Friday.

With Lowe setting the table, the shooting finally sorts itself out and Kentucky hits a dozen 3-pointers while clearing the 40-percent mark for the first time, four players making multiple perimeter shots. Oweh looks like the SEC Preseason Player of the Year en route to 20-plus while Lowe gets his seventh career double-double and Kam Williams finally gets rolling with a trio of trey balls himself.

It’s going to be a fast start and Pope’s group will not look back, cruising to a feel-good 35-point victory before the focus shifts to Louisville, who somehow thought that bulletin board material was a good idea. Lowe is my game MVP.

Score: Kentucky 95, Valparaiso 60

Jacob Polacheck

The Kentucky Wildcats finally have their point guard. Jaland Lowe will return on Friday against Valparaiso, and I’m expecting that to make the difference.

It’s been a rocky couple of games for Kentucky after defeating Purdue in an exhibition last month. This is the game I expect Kentucky to get back on track. The addition of Lowe will add plenty of space for Otega Oweh, who I’m expecting to have one of his best games of the season.

My wildcard pick is Andrija Jelavic. After Trent Noah‘s breakout performance last game, my pick is that Jelavic does a little bit of everything from shooting, driving the lane, and blocking shots, in an all-around performance.

Kentucky 89, Valparaiso 59