No. 7 Kansas (1-1) should be more prepared than usual for this year’s Champions Classic, when it takes on No. 20 Kentucky (1-1) at 8:30 p.m. tonight in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Normally, this is the first big test every year for the Jayhawks and the fellow elite college basketball programs who are in this event every season. Yet KU already faced a team in Gonzaga that is arguably better than Kentucky, Michigan State or Duke.
The Jayhawks dropped their season opener, 102-90, to the top-ranked Bulldogs on Thanksgiving Day. But it should have given Bill Self’s squad an idea of who they are and what they have to do to compete with some of the best teams in the country.
Six days after that contest, KU will get a chance to see how it stacks up against another quality program when it faces Kentucky tonight. The Wildcats are coming off a 76-64 loss to Richmond on Sunday, but have a talented roster once again under John Calipari.
[KenPom][1] gives Kansas a 60% chance of victory in tonight’s matchup with Kentucky. The Jayhawks are projected to win by a 74-71 margin.
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**BREAKING DOWN KENTUCKY**
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**TOP PLAYER**
*No. 3 — G Brandon Boston Jr. | 6-7, 185, fr.*
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Boston leads the team in scoring through two games, so we will put him down as the top player even though this entire roster is relatively unknown at this point in the year.
To be fair, Boston was a consensus five-star prospect and Kentucky’s top-ranked player in the 2020 class. He’s delivered right away, averaging 17.5 points per game to go along with 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest. Boston is playing 35.5 minutes per outing, which is the highest mark on the squad.
Through two games, Boston has taken 32.4% of Kentucky’ shots and has an offensive rating of 107.0 on KenPom. He’s a smooth scorer with a nice jump shot to go along with the ability to beat defenders off the dribble. And he has great length for the position.
Unsurprisingly, Boston is a projected lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
**SUPPORTING CAST**
*No. 5 — G Terrence Clarke | 6-7, 194, fr.*
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Clarke has strong numbers through two games, helping create a nice tandem in the backcourt for the Wildcats.
After one week, Clarke is second on the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per outing. He also paces Kentucky with 2.0 steals per contest entering tonight’s matchup.
Coming out of high school, Clarke was also a consensus five-star prospect and ranked as high as No. 8 in the final Rivals rankings. At 6-foot-7, Clarke is a big scoring guard with a pro frame to go along with his elite athleticism.
Clarke is a strong ball handler, and can really beat defenders on the dribble, especially going to his left.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDdNVJoZI5M
*No. 30 — F Olivier Sarr | 7-0, 237, sr.*
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As one of the few upperclassmen on the team, Sarr’s leadership figures to be an important attribute in tonight’s clash.
Sarr is third on the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game this season, while averaging 29.5 points per outing. He is adding an average of 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest during his senior campaign with the Wildcats.
As a junior at Wake Forest, Sarr was named the ACC’s Most-Improved Player a season ago. He started in 15 of the 30 games, averaging 13.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He paced Wake Forest with 11 double-doubles and 33 blocks on the year.
*No. 23 — F Isaiah Jackson | 6-10, 206, fr.*
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As another former five-star prospect, Jackson is off to a solid start to his collegiate career.
Jackson is leading the team in rebounding with a clip of 9.0 rebounds per game. He is averaging 21 minutes per contest in the early going, while shooting 46.2% from the floor. However, Jackson has yet to reach double figures through two outings.
Jackson was ranked the No. 28 overall player in this recruiting class, and also has a shot of making an impact at the next level. Jackson is a tremendous athlete to go along with great length and size, so he’s obviously viewed as a first-round talent in the upcoming NBA Draft.
**ONE THING KENTUCKY DOES WELL**
The Wildcats’ length leads to success on the glass with an offensive rebound rate of 45.1% so far this season. Per KenPom, only six teams in all of college basketball have a better offensive rebound rate.
**ONE AREA KENTUCKY STRUGGLES**
Coming off a 21-turnover game against Richmond, Kentucky has some issues taking care of the rock to start the season. The Wildcats rank 200th in the country with a turnover rate of 24.8%, according to KenPom.
**MEET THE COACH**
Kentucky is coached by John Calipari, who is 331-78 in his 12th season at UK and 776-218 in his 29th season overall.
**VEGAS SAYS**
Kansas is a 5-point favorite over Kentucky on most sportsbooks, a line that has really moved in KU’s favor today. I [explained earlier today][2] why many of the gambling analysts are backing the Jayhawks, which essentially comes down to their experience advantage over the Wildcats.
That said, I’m going to fade the consensus and take the points in this one.
Prediction: Kansas 81, Kentucky 78
[1]: https://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Kentucky
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/jacksons_journal/2020/dec/1/line-moving-in-kus-favor-ahead-of-matchu/
