How No. 20 Kentucky and Western Kentucky match up — with a game prediction
How the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats (8-2, 0-0 SEC) and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-4, 0-0 C-USA) match up at each position for Wednesday’s men’s basketball game at Rupp Arena at the Central Bank Center (capacity 20,545) — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Kentucky’s Kellan Grady (10 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 44.2% treys) is coming off a strong performance in UK’s 98-69 demolition of North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound graduate transfer from Davidson hit six of eight shots, five of seven treys vs. the Tar Heels and finished with 18 points and six rebounds. The output was one off of Grady’s UK career high. He had 19 points vs. Robert Morris.
▪ WKU’s Luke Frampton (9.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 34.2% treys) was a teammate of Grady at Davidson from 2017 through 2020. A 6-5, 205-pound redshirt senior, Frampton had four points, two rebounds and two steals in Western’s 82-72 victory over Louisville on Saturday. However, Frampton hit five of six shots, two of three treys, and had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in WKU’s 71-48 dismantling of SEC foe Mississippi on Dec. 11.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Power forward
▪ UK’s Keion Brooks (11.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 47.3% FGs) had 10 points and three rebounds in 18 minutes in the win over North Carolina. The 6-7, 210-pound junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., has made only one three-point shot (1-of-6 combined) in UK’s past seven games.
▪ Western Kentucky’s Jairus Hamilton is the Hilltoppers’ leading scorer, averaging 16.5 ppg along with 6.5 rpg. The 6-8, 230-pound senior had 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the victory over U of L and 13 points, 12 boards and four dimes in the win over Ole Miss. A former player at both an ACC school (Boston College) and a Big Ten program (Maryland), Hamilton should be well-prepared to handle the magnitude of Rupp Arena.
Advantage: Western Kentucky.
Center
▪ Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe is leading the NCAA in rebounding (14.2 rpg), is second in the country in double-doubles (eight) and leads UK in scoring (16.3 ppg). The 6-9, 255-pound product of the Democratic Republic of Congo had 16 points and 12 boards in only 22 minutes vs. UNC.
▪ A 7-5, 235-pound Hopkinsville product, Western Kentucky’s Jamarion Sharp leads the NCAA in blocked shots (4.83 blocks a game) and leads the Hilltoppers in rebounding (7.8 rpg) while scoring 8.2 ppg. Since being inserted into the WKU starting lineup in the season’s fifth game, Sharp has averaged 10 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 5.1 blocks and shot 77 percent (37-of-48) on field-goal tries — and Western has gone 7-1. While going for 16 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in the win over Ole Miss, Sharp’s length completely discombobulated the Rebels, helping Western win the points in the paint 38-12.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Shooting guard
▪ Kentucky freshman TyTy Washington (13.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.4 apg) had nine points, four rebounds and four assists in the win over North Carolina. The 6-3, 197-pound product of Phoenix will be happy to be back in Rupp Arena. Washington has averaged 15.6 ppg this season in games played in Lexington; he has averaged 8 ppg in games played elsewhere.
▪ Western Kentucky super-senior Camron Justice (13.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 36.2% treys) is the Conference USA Player of the Week after a stellar performance vs. Louisville. The 6-3, 185-pound Knott County Central product hit seven of 12 shots, five of seven treys and all six of his foul shots while going for 25 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Kentucky’s 2015 Mr. Basketball and a sixth-year college player, Justice should feel right at home in Rupp Arena: He led Knott Central to four straight trips to the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen from 2012-15. As a Vanderbilt freshman in 2015-16, Justice also played seven minutes vs. UK in Rupp, going scoreless.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Point guard
▪ Kentucky’s Sahvir Wheeler (11.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 7.7 apg, 46.5% FGs, 22.2% treys) is the SEC Player of the Week after dropping a nuclear bomb on North Carolina. The 5-9, 180-pound Houston product sliced and diced the Tar Heels for 26 points (on 12-of-15 shooting), eight assists and four steals. The transfer from Georgia’s best game to date in a UK uniform came after his worst game, three points and two assists, in the Wildcats’ unexpected 66-62 loss at Notre Dame two Saturdays ago.
▪ WKU’s Dayvion McKnight (14.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 6.4 apg, 2.1 steals) is the Hilltoppers’ most-complete player. The 6-1, 195-pound product of Collins High School in Shelbyville had 13 points, five rebounds and nine assists in the win over U of L. In the victory over Ole Miss, McKnight had eight points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. Kentucky’s 2020 Mr. Basketball, McKnight, too, should be comfortable in Rupp Arena. As a freshman, he helped Collins to the Sweet Sixteen (he would have played in the state tourney again as a senior in 2020 had the coronavirus not canceled the event).
Advantage: Kentucky.
Bench
▪ Kentucky super-senior guard Davion Mintz (7.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) is still trying to get his jump shot dialed in (33.3% FGs, 29.6% treys) in 2021-22. ... Junior forward Jacob Toppin (4.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 45.5% FGs) played well (seven points, five rebounds, three assists) vs. North Carolina. ... John Calipari praised sophomore big man Lance Ware (1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 50% FGs) for his high-energy relief work (one point, four rebounds, one block) vs. UNC. ... Freshmen forwards Daimion Collins (4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.4 blocks) and Bryce Hopkins (3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 33.3% treys) remain UK’s “X factors.”
▪ WKU’s Josh Anderson (11 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 steals, 42.9% treys) was huge vs. U of L, producing a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) in 24 minutes. A super-senior, Anderson has made 79 career starts. ... DePaul transfer Jaylen Butz (5.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and junior-college transfer Sherman Brashear (5.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg) played a combined 15 minutes vs. Louisville ... ex-Madison Central star Isaiah Cozart has averaged 3.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 1.3 blocks in six games. ... Guard Noah Stansbury, the son of WKU coach Rick Stansbury, has yet to score in eight games but has nine rebounds and eight assists.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Intangibles and history
▪ Though two of the 15 all-time winningest men’s college basketball programs and occupying the same state, Kentucky and Western Kentucky do not have much shared history. The teams have only played six times, three of them in the NCAA Tournament. UK leads the all-time series 4-2.
▪ The Wildcats and Hilltoppers have split the only two prior meetings in Rupp Arena. UK won 93-83 on Feb. 15, 1992. WKU upset the No. 4 Cats 64-52 on Nov. 15, 2001, in the NABC Classic.
▪ As head man at Mississippi State from 1998 through 2012, WKU Coach Rick Stansbury went 4-13 vs. Kentucky with one win (66-57 on Feb. 3, 2009) in Rupp Arena.
▪ Since becoming Western coach in 2016-17, Stansbury has led the Hilltoppers to 11 wins in 22 meetings vs. power-conference opponents (the football Power Five plus the Big East). Under Stansbury, WKU has beaten Purdue, Boston College, Southern California, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Arkansas (twice), Wisconsin, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisville.
▪ As Kentucky head man, John Calipari is 20-3 against in-state foes — 3-0 vs. Morehead State, 3-0 vs. Eastern Kentucky, 2-0 vs. Northern Kentucky, 1-0 vs. Western Kentucky and 11-3 against Louisville.
Advantage: Even.
Prediction
Kentucky 79, Western Kentucky 71.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 3:16 PM.
