How No. 20 Kentucky and No. 7 Kansas match up — with a game prediction
How the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (1-1) and No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks (1-1) match up at each position for their showdown in the 2020-21 State Farm Champions Classic — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Kentucky’s Brandon Boston is averaging a team-best 17.5 points and is second on the UK roster in rebounding at 8.5 a game. The 6-foot-7, 185-pound freshman from Norcross, Ga., is shooting 15-of-27 from inside the three-point arc but is 0-for-7 on treys. Boston was the No. 5-rated prospect in the Rivals 150 for the class of 2020.
▪ Kansas’ Bryce Thompson was one of four guards Bill Self started in the Jayhawks’ 94-72 win over St. Joseph’s. The 6-5, 188-pound freshman was the Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year as a junior and a senior at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School. He was ranked 21st in the Rivals 150. Thompson is averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while hitting 47.1% from the field. His father, Rod, played for Self at Tulsa, while his grandfather, Marshall Rogers, played for Kansas in the 1970s.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Power forward
▪ Kentucky’s Isaiah Jackson (7.5 points, 9.0 rebounds) was “the buzz player” of the UK preseason and has shown ample promise in Kentucky’s two opening games. The 6-10, 206-pound product of Pontiac, Mich., had nine points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in the Wildcats’ 81-45 season-opening victory over Morehead State, then came back with six points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in UK’s 76-64 upset loss to Richmond on Sunday.
▪ Kansas’ Christian Braun (pronounced “Brown”) is another of the many guards in the Jayhawks’ starting lineup. The No. 93-ranked prospect in the 2019 Rivals 150, the 6-6, 205-pound sophomore from Burlington, Kan., has far exceeded his recruiting expectations. Coming off a 30-point performance in which he hit 10 of 13 shots and five of eight treys in the win over St. Joe’s, Braun is KU’s leading leading scorer (19.0 points), is tied for the team lead in steals (four) and is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.
Advantage: Even.
Center
▪ A transfer from Wake Forest, Kentucky’s Olivier Sarr (12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds) had a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) in the loss to Richmond. The 7-foot, 237-pound senior from Bordeaux, France, was far more effective in half one (five of eight field goals, 14 points) against the Spiders than in the second (0-for-5 field goals, three points), however.
▪ Kansas junior David McCormack has the unenviable task of replacing departed Jayhawks star Udoka Azubuike. A 6-10, 265-pound wide body from Norfolk, Va., McCormack (8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds) is off to a shaky start, having made only five of 15 shots while turning the ball over a team-high seven times. When Kansas lost to Kentucky 71-63 in Rupp Arena in the 2018-19 SEC-Big 12 Challenge, McCormack logged eight minutes of action, failed to score but grabbed three rebounds.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Shooting guard
▪ Kentucky’s Terrence Clarke (13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists) has struggled with his outside shooting touch, having missed all four of his three-point tries and seven of 14 free throws. Clarke leads the Cats with four steals. The 6-7, 194-pound Boston product was the eighth-rated prospect in the Rivals 150 for 2020.
▪ Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji (17.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 50 FG%) has made four of nine three-point attempts. A 6-5, 210-pound product of Kansas City, Agbaji leads KU in minutes played (32.5 a game). In KU’s loss to UK in 2018-19, Agbaji played 21 minutes, hit two of six shots and scored seven points.
Advantage: Kansas.
Point guard
▪ Not surprisingly for a player who could still be a high school senior, Kentucky’s Devin Askew (7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists) is off to a challenging start. The 6-3, 198-pound freshman from Sacramento, Calif., has more turnovers (seven) than assists (six). In the loss to Richmond, Askew was 0-for-3 from the floor, 0-for-2 on three-pointers. Askew, who reclassified from the class of 2021, was ranked No. 33 in the 2020 Rivals 150.
▪ Kansas senior Marcus Garrett (13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists) is versatile with a knack for doing whatever his team needs. The 6-5, 195-pound Dallas product had a team-high 22 points in the Jayhawks’ 102-90 loss to No. 1 Gonzaga to open the season. In the victory over St. Joe’s, Garrett scored only five points but had seven rebounds and three assists. Last season, Garrett was named Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year. In two prior games against Kentucky, Garrett has not fared well — he is 2-of-12 on field-goal attempts with five turnovers.
Advantage: Kansas.
Bench
▪ Kentucky freshman forward Cam’Ron Fletcher (6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds) has been a positive, early-season surprise. A graduate transfer from Creighton, guard Davion Mintz (5.0 points, 25% FG) was expected to provide veteran savvy for a youthful UK backcourt but got only 10 minutes of playing time in the loss to Richmond. Freshman forward Lance Ware has five rebounds in two games but has yet to attempt a shot.
▪ After starting against Gonzaga, Kansas forward Jalen Wilson (12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) came off the bench against St. Joe’s and just missed a double-double (14 points, nine boards). At 6-8, 215 pounds, KU might need Wilson to combat Kentucky’s length. At 6-8, swingman Tristan Enaruna (5.5 points, 62.5% FG) also gives Kansas productive size. Redshirt senior forward Mitch Lightfoot (2.5 points, 3.0 rebounds) has been a part of the KU program so long, he played against Kentucky in 2016-17 when the Jayhawks beat the Wildcats 79-73 in Rupp Arena.
Advantage: Kansas.
Intangibles and history
▪ Kentucky leads the all-time series with Kansas 23-9, but since Bill Self arrived in Lawrence in 2003, the Jayhawks have won six of 10 meetings with UK.
▪ In the Champions Classic, Kentucky is 2-1 vs. Kansas and 5-4 overall. Kansas is 4-5 in the Champions Classic (Of the other two programs that participate in the annual early-season hoops showcase, Duke is 6-3 and Michigan State 3-6).
▪ Because of the coronavirus, there will be no fans allowed in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse stands for the game. That should be a net advantage for Kansas since, under normal circumstances, Kentucky backers tend to dominate crowds at neutral-site games in relatively nearby Indianapolis.
Advantage: Kansas.
Prediction
Kansas 77, Kentucky 69.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 1:19 PM.
