No. 10 Kentucky will return to the court on Wednesday as it hosts Summit League foe North Dakota.
The Wildcats bounced back from their 118-84 loss to Duke by topping Southern Illinois by 12 points in Lexington.
Meanwhile, North Dakota is off to a 2-0 start with wins of Northland and Milwaukee.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this game.
Game Details
- North Dakota (2-0) at No. 10 Kentucky (1-1)
- Location: Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
- Game Date: Nov. 14
- Game Time: 9 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network
Players to Watch
Keldon Johnson (Kentucky)
The 6-6 freshman has been the most impactful on the roster thus far this season in averaging 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
We came into the season expecting Johnson to potentially be the best of the freshman group, and he’s certainly delivered. He’s a multi-dimensional scorer that has the strength to score in a variety of ways, which is what Kentucky has needed through two games.
Even with an experienced player like Reid Travis on the roster, Johnson has looked like the leader on the court for the Wildcats this season.
PJ Washington (Kentucky)
It’s been a strange first few games for Washington after he somewhat surprisingly withdrew from the NBA draft and returned to school for another season.
The 6-8 sophomore had just eight rebounds and two rebounds while fouling out in 17 minutes against Duke, and he struggled against Southern Illinois in posting three points and six rebounds to go along with five turnovers in 20 minutes of play.
However, John Calipari recently mentioned that Washington is still trying to regain some confidence after hand surgery this offseason, and that may be one of the main reasons for his early struggles.
If Kentucky wants to be a national championship contender, they’re going to need Washington – one of the team’s veteran players even though he’s just a sophomore – to return to form and find better consistency going forward.
Cortez Seales (North Dakota)
With Marlon Stewart – the team’s top returning scorer this season at 11.7 points per game – sidelined indefinitely, Seales will be expected to carry the early scoring load for the Fighting Hawks.
The 6-4 senior averaged 10.7 points last season while notching five games of 20 or more points.
He’s off to a 14.0 points per game average this year, despite struggling from the field (4-of-18 shooting) in the win at Milwaukee.
Key Stats
Even with some of the early issues, Kentucky currently ranks seventh nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and found a way to get plenty of extra scoring opportunities in the win over Southern Illinois.
The Wildcats grabbed 18 offensive rebounds in that game, with half of them going from 6-11 sophomore Nick Richards.
Pace of play will also be worth keeping an eye on in this one, as North Dakota has finished in the top 50 in adjusted tempo in each of the past five seasons.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Kentucky -26
- Over/Under: 154
- KenPom Projection: Kentucky, 98 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Kentucky, 96.2 percent chance to win
North Dakota is a team in transition after losing several major contributors from a year ago, and Brian Jones is still trying to find the right chemistry with all the newcomers.
When you add in the fact that the Hawks are without their top scorer in Stewart, it should make for a difficult evening at Rupp.
However, that will only be the case if Kentucky comes out with an aggressive mindset and doesn’t lack focus from the opening tip.
Southern Illinois was a higher-quality opponent than people thought they were, but the Wildcats were sloppy in the first half in committing 14 turnovers.
To be more confident in this team’s progress, it would go a long way to see Calipari’s group come out on a mission and take a big lead into the half.
Kentucky should win this game easily, but only if there’s more commitment and consistency on the defensive side of the court.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 24-4
Game Prediction: Kentucky 88, North Dakota 64
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