No. 10 Kentucky will look for its sixth straight win when it hosts Monmouth on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats have started to find a bit of a rhythm, with their most recent victory coming against Tennessee State.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have yet to find a win on the season as they’ve suffered defeat in their first seven games.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this matchup.
Game Details
- No. 10 Kentucky (5-1) vs. Monmouth (0-7)
- Location: Rupp Arena – Lexington, KY
- Game Date: Nov. 28
- Game Time: 8:30 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network
Players to Watch
Keldon Johnson (Kentucky)
The 6-6 freshman continues to lead the way in scoring, as he’s posting 16.5 points per game on 49.2 percent shooting from the floor.
Johnson’s versatility has been on display throughout the season, and his confidence should be through the roof after notching a career-high 27 points in the win over Tennessee State.
PJ Washington (Kentucky)
Washington struggled with consistency early on this season, but he’s seemingly turned that around.
The 6-8 sophomore is averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per contest, and he is certainly someone that John Calipari will rely on in big spots throughout the season.
Key Stats
Kentucky’s biggest struggles have been well-documented at this point, and it involves several aspects on the defensive side of the court.
While the Wildcats have played against some quality 3-point shooting teams, it’s still not ideal to be allowing opponents to shoot 43.4 percent from beyond the arc (350th nationally).
But that may not matter all that much against a Monmouth team that hasn’t found any success from long range, as King Rice’s squad ranks 339th nationally in shooting 25.2 percent.
Another big key to success for the Hawks in this game will be keeping Kentucky off the glass, which is a lot easier said than done.
The Wildcats have the nation’s best offensive rebounding percentage at 46.3 percent.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Kentucky -24
- Over/Under: 147
- KenPom Projection: Kentucky, 98 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Kentucky, 95.8 percent chance to win
Kentucky has had its frustrating moments at times, but it’s obvious that this team is starting to figure some things out on both sides of the court.
The defensive lapses are still there, and they’ll need to be cleaned up if the Wildcats want to be a national title contender this season.
However, there is more consistency on display than there was in the first few games, so that’s at least something that Calipari and his staff can work with moving forward.
The Wildcats should pick up another victory in this spot.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 65-14
Game Prediction: Kentucky 88, Monmouth 60
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