Kentucky basketball vs. Santa Clara: Live updates, stats from March Madness opener

The ups and downs of an unexpected Kentucky basketball season have all led to this.

The Cats, considered in the preseason to be a strong Final Four contender, rarely have looked the part this season, and their last chance to salvage something from the disappointment starts Friday, when No. 7 seed Kentucky faces No. 10 seed Santa Clara in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region.

The first March Madness game Friday — a 12:15 p.m. EDT tip on CBS — pits the Cats (21-13) against the Broncos (26-8) in what’s projected to be a close game with Santa Clara a trendy upset pick.

As of Friday morning, Kentucky was a 2.5-point favorite, and college basketball analytics sites were divided on the outcome. KenPom.com gave UK a 56% chance of winning and predicted an 81-79 final score. BartTorvik.com had the game as a 50/50 tossup, giving Santa Clara an edge by less than a percentage-point chance. ESPN’s matchup predictor had Kentucky with a 72.3% chance of winning.

You can follow the game with Herald-Leader staffers on site at Enterprise Center. Men’s basketball beat writer Ben Roberts, sports columnist Mark Story and staff writers Cameron Drummond and Caroline Makauskas will be on hand to provide updates and answer your questions in the chat below, which also features real-time stats and play-by-play.