Clash Of THE Programs: Kentucky Vs. UCLA Game Preview And Information

Kentucky Vs. UCLA. The two most decorated programs in college basketball history. They meet in the CBS Sports Classic at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The “Madhouse On Madison” will host an epic double-header on Saturday when the Bruins and Wildcats play in the second of two games after what should be a monumental North Carolina-Ohio State match-up. As UCLA looks to improve on some weaknesses, Kentucky looks to exploit them with a 10-deep roster.

Dec 10, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Kevin Looney (5) shoots the ball against the UC Riverside Highlanders at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Records: UCLA (8-3), #1 Kentucky (11-0)

Tip-Off: 12:30 p.m. PT

Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

TV:�CBS

Radio: KLAC AM 570 (Los Angeles)

On-line: TuneIn

Betting Line: Kentucky -14.5

Preview: First, the good news Bruin fans: UCLA’s starters are all scoring in double figures lead  by Bryce Alford (18.0 ppg) and Norman Powell (17.4 ppg). They also have 6’9″ freshman Kevon Looney averaging a double-double with 13.9 ppg and 10.9 rpg. Isaac Hamilton and Tony Parker are also hoping out with 11.6 and 10.8 points per game. Unfortunately, after that, they do not have much production from the bench, which brings…

The bad news: Before junior forward Alex Poythress suffered an ACL tear which caused him to go down for the season, the Wildcats had a team that could go ten-deep. Kentucky only has two players scoring over ten points a game as Willie Cauly-Stein (10.7) and Aaron Harrison (10.2) are leading a team that is spreading around the scoring chances to every player on the floor.

Dec 13, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) dunks the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated North Carolina Tar Heels 84-70. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Check out the spacing with Kentucky’s scoring: Dakari Johnson (9.2), Devin Booker (9.1), Karl-Anthony Towns (8.5), Trey Lyles (7.8), Andrew Harrison (7.6), Alex Poythress (5.5), Tyler Ulis (4.8), Marcus Lee (3.2) and Derek Willis (3.2).

With the Bruin starters responsible for 86% of the teams scoring, one of two things need to happen: (1) they are going to need to play the game of their lives if they play a ton a minutes against Kentucky or (2) UCLA’s bench is gong to have to really step up.

Aside from that, it looks as if the Bruins will be overwhelmed in several areas of this game, namely, longevity, rebounding and defense.

The longevity issue favors Kentucky. The ability to have that many good players on the court at all times is going to wear down UCLA. If the Bruins can get some early scoring, they might be able to hang in there, but essentially, UCLA might get picked apart late in the game.

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With rebounds, though Looney and Parker have been good for UCLA, they are the only Bruins grabbing more than five a game. Kentucky has Cauley-Stein, Towns, Johnson and Lyles getting 5.6 rpg and above. Trying to defend against these guys will be a tall order.

Lastly, defense will be an issue for UCLA as they do not have much. As written in an article from earlier this week, Steve Alford Needs To Demand More From His Team, Especially On Defense, I wrote that the Bruin’s man-to-man is decent but susceptible to getting burned on rotations, while in the zone, they basically just put their arms out with little-to-no pressure. If that happens against Kentucky, the Wildcats will exploit it and pass it around until the have an open shot, which could happen many a-times for UK.

But here is the thing, this is a huge deal. Just because UCLA has some deficiencies right now does not mean that they are going to roll over and let Kentucky have their way. The Bruins have some talent on their team that will look to make a statement in a nationally televised game and as opposed to recent performances, UCLA will start fast and run with Kentucky early. Unfortunately, as stated above, it might be the latter part of the game that UCLA has trouble with.

Prediction: UCLA 62 – Kentucky 77

P.S. What is with the floor?