How Kentucky and Saint Peter’s match up — with a game prediction
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Men’s NCAA Tournament: Previewing Kentucky vs. Saint Peter’s
Click below to view more content from the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com previewing Kentucky’s men’s basketball matchup against Saint Peter’s on Thursday night in the NCAA East Regional at Indianapolis.
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How the NCAA Tournament East Region No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats (26-7) and the No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks (19-11) match up at each position for Thursday’s round-of-64 contest — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Kentucky’s Kellan Grady (11.5 ppg, 2 rpg, 42.4% three-point shooting) has ended the season in a shooting drought. Over UK’s past five games, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound graduate transfer from Davidson is 13-of-32 on field-goal tries, 5-of-17 on three-point attempts. The super-senior had an especially rough go in UK’s 69-62 loss to rival Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinals, making only one of eight shots and going 0-of-5 on treys. To make a deep NCAA tourney run, Kentucky will need Grady to get his shot dialed back in.
▪ Hassan Drame (5.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 49.6% FGs, 35% three-pointers) of Saint Peter’s has not had a double-digit scoring contest since he went for 18 against Marist on Jan. 26. The 6-7, 200-pound junior has more 10-plus rebounding games (three) this season than double-digit scoring games (two). The native of Bamako, Mali, had nine points and seven rebounds against Big East foe St. John’s in November.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Power forward
▪ UK’s Keion Brooks (10.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 49.1% FGs) was a bright spot in the loss to Tennessee. The 6-7, 210-pound junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., hit seven of 11 shots and had 19 points and five rebounds vs. the Vols. Brooks enters the NCAA tourney having scored 10-plus points in four of UK’s seven most-recent games.
▪ Saint Peter’s KC Ndefo (10.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 47.6% FGs) is the reigning and three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-7, 195-pound senior from Elmont, N.Y., is 13th in NCAA Division I in blocked shots (2.73 a game). Ndefo can score, too, as he has been in double figures in eight of the Peacocks’ 10 most-recent games.
Advantage: Even.
Center
▪ Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (17 ppg, 15.1 rpg, team highs of 58 steals, 53 blocked shots) was chosen as an AP First Team All-American this week. The 6-9, 255-pound junior enters the NCAA Tournament on a streak of 15 straight double-doubles. Tshiebwe fouled out of the Tennessee loss last Saturday with 13 points and 11 boards after playing only 24 minutes. Obviously, UK needs him to stay out of foul trouble and on the court in the NCAAs.
▪ Saint Peter’s Clarence Rupert (4.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 44.2% FGs) gives the Peacocks some bulk and some rebounding but not much offense. The 6-8, 245-pound Philadelphia product had six rebounds each in Saint Peter’s quarterfinals and semifinals victories in the MAAC Tournament. Rupert has reached double figures in scoring only twice all season, though.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Shooting guard
▪ Kentucky freshman star TyTy Washington (12.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4 apg, 45.9% FGs, 34.7% treys) had 25 points in UK’s 77-71 SEC Tournament quarterfinals win over Vanderbilt and 17 in the semifinals loss to Tennessee. After battling a “lower extremity injury” suffered in UK’s win over Florida in Rupp Arena on Feb. 12, the 6-3, 197-pound freshman from Phoenix appears to be getting back to full health.
▪ Daryl Banks III (11 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 38.5% FGs, 36.4% treys) of Saint Peter’s is the Peacocks’ leading scorer. The 6-3, 165-pound junior lit up Providence of the Big East on Nov. 27 with 26 points after hitting nine of 16 shots in an 85-71 loss. The Los Angeles product made only three of 13 shots, combined, in the semifinals and finals of the MAAC Tournament.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Point guard
▪ Kentucky’s Sahvir Wheeler (10 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 6.9 apg, 43.9% FGs) averaged 9 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in the SEC Tournament, but the 5-9, 180-pound junior made only seven of 24 shots in the two games. The Georgia transfer had ended the regular season making 21 of 42 shots in UK’s final four games.
▪ Matthew Lee (7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 34% FGs, 35.6% treys) of Saint Peter’s is the Peacocks’ primary distributor. However, the 6-foot, 160-pound junior from San Juan, Puerto Rico, turned it up offensively in the MAAC Tournament, averaging 10.7 ppg in the three games.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Bench
▪ Kentucky sixth man Davion Mintz (8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 34.1% treys) had a rough go in the SEC tourney loss to Tennessee, missing all six of his shot attempts and finishing the game with one point, one rebound and one assist. . . . Forward Jacob Toppin (6.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 54.5% FGs) played well in the SEC tourney quarterfinals vs. Vandy (10 points, three blocks) and not so well vs. Tennessee (no points, two rebounds). . . . Sophomore big man Lance Ware (1.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 69.6% FGs) is important to UK for “energy minutes” in relief of Oscar Tshiebwe.
▪ Saint Peter’s Doug Edert (9.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 41.2% treys) was the star of the MAAC Tournament finals win over Monmouth with 20 points. The 6-2, 185-pound junior averaged 12.7 ppg in the MAAC tourney. . . . Fousseyni Drame (7.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 56.2% FGs) had 10 rebounds in the MAAC finals and scored a combined 22 points in the three games of the tournament. . . . A transfer from Portland, guard Isaiah Dasher (5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 38% FGs) made only two of eight shots in the MAAC tourney. . . . Freshman guard Jaylen Murray (5.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 47 assists vs. 42 turnovers) came on late in the season, including scoring eight points in the win over Fairfield in the MAAC tourney quarterfinals.
Advantage: Even.
Intangibles and history
▪ Kentucky will be making its record 59th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are 129-52 all-time in NCAA tourney games. UK is 48-10 in NCAA Tournament opening games and has won 25 of its past 26 such games.
▪ As Kentucky head man, John Calipari is 31-8 in the NCAA Tournament and has led the Wildcats to four Finals Fours (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) and one national title (2012). From 2010 through 2015, Calipari was 22-4 in the NCAAs; since 2016, UK is 9-4.
▪ Saint Peter’s is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, and first since 2011. The Peacocks have never won an NCAA tourney contest. This will be the first NCAA Tournament for Peacocks Coach Shaheen Holloway as a head man.
▪ Saint Peter’s and John Calipari have met in the NCAA Tournament. In 1995, Calipari’s Massachusetts team beat Saint Peter’s 68-51 in the round of 64.
▪ Kentucky enters the game ranked No. 3 in the Kenpom Ratings, No. 5 in the NCAA’s NET Rankings and No. 6 in the Sagarin Ratings; Saint Peter’s is No. 118 in Kenpom, No. 124 in the NET and No. 139 in Sagarin.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Prediction
Kentucky 73, Saint Peter’s 55.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 12:57 PM.
