How Kentucky and No. 22 North Carolina match up — with a game prediction
How the Kentucky Wildcats (1-4) and No. 22 North Carolina Tar Heels (4-2) match up at each position for their showdown in the 2020-21 CBS Sports Classic — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Kentucky’s Brandon Boston has had an unexpectedly rough start to his freshman season. The 6-foot-7, 185-pound product of Norcross, Ga., is UK’s leading scorer (14.4 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (6.2 rpg) but has made only 38.4% (28-of-73) of his field-goal tries and 19.2% (5-of-26) of his three-point attempts. UK needs more efficiency from the player who was ranked the No. 5 prospect in the 2020 Rivals 150.
▪ North Carolina’s Leaky Black (6.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) has also struggled with his shot. The 6-8, 195-pound junior from Concord, N.C., is shooting 33.3% from the field, 25% (2-of-8) on three-point tries. Black leads UNC with eight steals. In UNC’s 80-72 loss to UK in the 2018-19 CBS Sports Classic, Black played 10 minutes, missed both his field-goal tries and had two rebounds.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Power forward
▪ The strong early play of Kentucky’s Isaiah Jackson (6.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.8 blocks) has been the season’s most-pleasant development for UK. Yet as effective as the 6-10, 206-pound freshman from Pontiac, Mich., has been on the glass and in blocking shots, his offense is very much a work in progress. Jackson is shooting 44.8% (13-of-29) from the field.
▪ North Carolina’s Garrison Brooks is the leading scorer (11.7 ppg) on what is an unusually balanced UNC roster (four players averaging more than 11 but fewer than 12 ppg). The 6-10, 240-pound senior also averages 7.7 rpg. In the Tar Heels’ loss to UK two seasons ago, Brooks had seven points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes. If the game is close down the stretch, Brooks is not a good foul shooter (59.3%).
Advantage: Even.
Center
▪ A transfer from Wake Forest, Kentucky’s Olivier Sarr has ample experience playing against North Carolina. In four career games vs. the Tar Heels, Sarr has made 13 of 25 shots and averaged 7.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg. In his most recent contest vs. UNC, the 7-foot, 237-pound product of Bordeaux, France, had a double-double, 11 points, 12 rebounds. In Kentucky’s 64-63 home-court loss to Notre Dame last Saturday, Sarr almost bailed UK out by making 11 of 16 shots and going for team highs of 22 points and seven rebounds.
▪ When he can get a shot off, North Carolina’s Armando Bacot (11.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg) is a picture of offensive efficiency. The burly, 6-10, 240-pound sophomore from Richmond, Va., has made 23 of 30 shots this season, a robust 76.7%. However, Bacot is not otherwise skilled with the ball in his hands. His assist/turnover ratio is a horrid 1-to-12.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Shooting guard
▪ Kentucky’s Terrence Clarke has captivated the imagination of John Calipari with the idea of a Tyreke Evans-redux move to point guard. That would be a high-risk play. The 6-7, 194-pound Clarke has been UK’s most dynamic perimeter player so far (13.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.6 apg) but has also been turnover-prone (team-high 19). The Boston native has also struggled (8-of-16) from the foul line.
▪ North Carolina’s RJ Davis holds a unique distinction on the Tar Heels stat sheet: Of UNC’s top eight players, the 6-foot, 160-pound freshman is the only one with more assists (17) than turnovers (14). A product of White Plains, N.Y., Davis is averaging 11.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.3 apg but is making only 38.2% of his field-goal tries.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Point guard
▪ Kentucky’s Davion Mintz made his first UK start in the loss to Notre Dame. The graduate transfer from Creighton had seven points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals but also went 0-of-5 on three-point tries. The 6-3, 196-pound product of Charlotte, N.C., is averaging 7.2 ppg and has a team-high 15 assists but has yet to get his shot dialed in. A career 35% three-point shooter at Creighton, Mintz is 5-of-22 (22.7%) on treys for UK.
▪ North Carolina’s Caleb Love is a second straight massively hyped freshman point guard for UNC, following behind last season’s one-and-done Cole Anthony. A 6-3, 195-pound product of St. Louis, Love was rated No. 17 in the 2020 Rivals 150. So far, he is another touted freshman having a challenging transition into college hoops. Love is averaging 11.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.3 apg, but has more turnovers (23) than assists (20) and is shooting only 30.1% from the field, 16% (4-of-25) on three-pointers. In UNC’s two losses, 69-67 to Texas and 93-80 at Iowa, Love has shot a combined 6-of-26, 1-of-8 on treys, with eight turnovers.
Advantage: Even.
Bench
▪ Kentucky freshman Devin Askew (5.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, nine assists/13 turnovers) came off the bench vs. Notre Dame after starting UK’s first 4 games at point. He had three points, two rebounds and an assist in 22 minutes vs. the Fighting Irish. .... Rhode Island transfer forward Jacob Toppin (2.4 ppg, 2 rpg) has been effective at times. ... Freshman forward Cam’Ron Fletcher has appeared in all five games and is averaging 2.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg.
▪ North Carolina’s Day’Ron Sharpe, a 6-11, 265-pound freshman, is off to a strong start (8.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg). The Greeneville, N.C., product had 13 points, six rebounds and hit five of six shots in the Tar Heels’ loss at No. 3 Iowa. ... A 6-4, 205-pound senior, Andrew Platek (6.8 ppg, 43.8% three-pointers) has been an effective perimeter reserve. In two minutes against UK two years ago, Platek failed to score. ... A 7-1, 245-pound freshman, Walker Kessler (4 ppg, 2.3 rpg) gives UNC a fourth post player in its rotation.
Advantage: North Carolina.
Intangibles and history
▪ North Carolina leads the all-time series with Kentucky 24-16. In the John Calipari coaching era, howerver, UK is 6-3 vs. UNC.
▪ UNC head man Roy Williams is 9-10 all-time against Kentucky. Williams is 8-7 against the Cats as North Carolina coach (since the 2003-04 season) and was 1-3 vs. UK as Kansas head man (1988-2003).
▪ Of the four teams that compete in the CBS Sports Classic, North Carolina (4-2) has the best record, followed by Kentucky (3-3), Ohio State (3-3) and UCLA (2-4).
Both of North Carolina’s losses in the CBS Sports Classic, however, have come against UK — 103-100 in Las Vegas in 2016-17 and 80-72 in Chicago in 2018-19.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Prediction
Kentucky 71, North Carolina 67.
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 2:05 PM.
