Kentucky vs. Valparaiso: Preview, Odds & How to Watch

It’s time for game two of year two for Mark Pope in Lexington, Kentucky set to host Valparaiso in the BBN United Tipoff Classic presented by Kentucky Tourism. The Cats and Beacons have played just twice before with this being the second home matchup at Rupp Arena. Can they get win No. 2 of the young season?

KSR digs into the battle against the MVC foe ahead of next week’s rivalry matchup vs. Louisville. No trap games tonight in Lexington — go 2-0 and then the focus shifts toward the red and black down I-64W.

What do you need to know about Valpo? We’ve got you covered.

Kentucky vs. Valparaiso: How to Watch, Listen

• Tipoff: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: SEC Network+ (Andrew Kappes, Travis Ford)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 210 or 201

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 a week.

Season Rewind

Kentucky: KenPom 3

• 10/24: 78-65 W vs. No. 1 Purdue (EXHIBITION)
• 10/30: 84-70 L vs. Georgetown (EXHIBITION)
• 11/4: 77-51 W vs. Nicholls

Valparaiso: KenPom 287

• 10/28: 104-62 W vs. Brescia (EXHIBITION
• 11/4: 66-63 W vs. Eastern Illinois

Series History

Kentucky has played Valparaiso twice with the Wildcats winning both matchups. Most recently, it was an 87-63 win over the Beacons inside Rupp Arena on Dec. 7, 2016. Bam Adebayo led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds in that one while De’Aaron Fox added nine points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win. Before that, it was an 83-68 win for UK in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, Keith Bogans scoring a team-high 21 points with six rebounds. Tayshaun Prince added 13 points, five rebounds and a steal in that one.

Kentucky vs. Valparaiso Odds

BetMGM lists Kentucky as a 34.5-point favorite with a total of 156.5, giving us a projected final score of 95.5-61. The Beacons did not cover in their opener as a 5.5-point favorite vs. Eastern Illinois. 

KenPom predicts a 93-61 win for the Wildcats, giving Pope’s squad a 99.8 percent chance to pull off the victory. Elsewhere, BartTorvik is going with a 92-62 victory for the blue and white with a 98 percent chance at an outright win. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives UK a 98.5 percent chance to open the year 2-0.

Kentucky Potential Starters

#15 – Jaland Lowe
6-1 – 170 – GUARD – JUNIOR
16.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.2 RPG*

#1 – Denzel Aberdeen
6-5 – 195 – GUARD – SENIOR
10.0 PPG, 6.0 APG, 5.0 RPG

#00 – Otega Oweh
6-4 – 215 – GUARD – JUNIOR
13.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG

#23 – Mouhamed Dioubate
6-7 – 220 – FORWARD – JUNIOR
7.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.0 APG

#10 – Brandon Garrison
6-10 – 245 – FORWARD – JUNIOR
8.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 APG

Stats from 2023-24 season*

Valparaiso Potential Starters

#10 – Mark Brown
6-0 – 190 – GUARD – JUNIOR
6.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 RPG

#11 – Isaiah Barnes
6-7 – 210 – GUARD – SENIOR
15.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.0 APG

#7 – JT Pettigrew
6-8 – 215 – FORWARD – FRESHMAN
13.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG

#12 – Owen Dease
6-8 – 200 – FORWARD – SENIOR
2.0 PPG, 2.0 APG

#23 – Shon Tupuola
6-10 – 245 – CENTER – JUNIOR
2.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

• The Cats are now 102-21 all-time in season openers and are 107-16 all-time in home openers following the 77-51 victory over Nicholls
• Kentucky has now won four straight season openers while Mark Pope has won eight straight personally. The 51 points allowed to Nicholls were the fewest under Pope.
• Otega Oweh has been named the preseason SEC Player of the Year and has been named to CBS’ and ESPN’s preseason All-America Second Team squads. He is UK’s leading returning scorer at 16.2 points per game.
• The Cats advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 in Mark Pope’s first season. The team set program records for most wins over AP-ranked teams (8), most 3-pointers made (341) and the most players to average double-figure scoring (6) in program history
• Kentucky opens the season ranked No. 9 in both AP and Coaches Polls as the program searches for championship banner No. 9

Pregame Storylines

JALAND LOWE MAKES HIS DEBUT

Welcome back, J-Lowe! Kentucky’s starting point guard went down with a right shoulder injury in the Blue-White Game and has missed the entire exhibition schedule, along with the opener vs. Nicholls. Now, though, the Preseason All-SEC pick is set to make his official debut in the blue and white against Valpo following a strong week of full-contact, full-speed practice.

He was one of eight players in the country to average at least 16.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest a year ago. Now, he’s ready to set the table for his teammates in Lexington as PG1.

WILL SHOOTING IMPROVE?

Maybe Lowe’s return goes hand in hand with fixing the shooting woes up to this point for Kentucky? The Wildcats shot a combined 7-26 (26.9%) in the Blue-White, 9-29 (31.0%) vs. No. 1 Purdue, 7-30 (23.3%) vs. Georgetown and 7-27 (25.9%) against Nicholls for a total of 30-112 (26.7%) in four outings.

Pope nor the players expressed legitimate concern about the long-term shooting following the win over the Colonels — “We’re gonna continue to shoot it,” Collin Chandler said — but it’s certainly something to monitor, especially as the team gets its best playmaker and facilitator back on the floor.

DON’T EXPECT TO SEE TRENT NOAH

Lowe is back for the Wildcats, but the Mountain Mamba is not expected to be available after rolling his ankle against the Colonels. Pope called it a “toss-up,” but said he was “probably leaning toward saving him and just trying to get him healthy.” His absence won’t help Kentucky’s shooting struggles (or get Noah back on track after a cold start from deep for him personally). Will he be ready to go for Louisville? That certainly sounds like the plan.

“He’s never going to tell you that he’s in pain, ever, ever, ever,” Pope said.

ROGER POWELL JR. IS A BRYCE DREW PROTEGE (AND FORMER ILLINI HOOPER)

The third-year Valpo coach was on Bryce Drew’s staff at Valpo from 2011-2016, helping lead the team to 124 wins in five seasons. Then he followed Drew to Vanderbilt, serving as his associate head coach from 2016-2019. After a coaching change, Powell Jr. found himself at Gonzaga on Mark Few’s bench from 2019-2022, leading the Bulldogs to the national title game in 2021 with Sweet 16 appearances in each of his final three seasons in Spokane.

He’s put together a 23-44 overall record as the head coach at Valpo, but did you know he was also a hooper back in his prime? And a very good one, at that, racking up 1,178 career points and 531 rebounds in four years at Illinois, finishing as a top-30 scorer in program history. He was on the iconic 2004-2005 Illini team that finished 37-2 as the national runner-up.

VALPO LOOKS FOR FIRST POWER CONFERENCE WIN SINCE 2016

The Beacons have not won against top-25 competition since defeating No. 25 Drake back in 2021. They have not beaten a power-conference opponent since the 68-60 win over Alabama back in 2016. This will be the program’s first SEC matchup since losing 98-61 at Ole Miss back in 2022. The program is 0-43 all-time on the road against nationally-ranked squads. Can they end the streak against the Wildcats inside Rupp Arena? Probably not.

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 inside Rupp Arena while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).

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Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with a Rapid Reaction live from outside Rupp Arena 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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