How No. 18 Kentucky matches up vs. No. 11 Gonzaga — with a game prediction
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gonzaga controls matchup with deeper rotation and frontcourt size advantage.
- Kentucky relies on Malachi Moreno and Otega Oweh to anchor offense and rebounding.
- Prediction favors Gonzaga based on efficiency gaps and turnover control.
How the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats (5-3) and the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1) match up at each position for Friday’s NCAA men’s college basketball Music City Madness — with a game prediction:
Small forward
• Kentucky’s Collin Chandler (11.8 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists) had 12 points, two rebounds, an assist and two steals in the Wildcats’ disappointing 67-64 loss to Norh Carolina Tuesday night. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound sophomore from Farmington, Utah, missed both his 3-point attempts vs. UNC and is now 6 of 14 from behind the arc in UK’s past three games.
• Gonzaga is the fourth team Tyon Grant Foster (12. 1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 49.4% FGs) has played for as a collegian — Kansas, DePaul and Grand Canyon were the first three. The 6-7, 220-pound product of Kansas City, Kansas, tied for the team lead with 14 points in the Zags’ 101-61 loss to Michigan in the Players Era Festival championship last week.
Advantage: Gonzaga
Power forward
• Kentucky sophomore Kam Williams (5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 43.2% FGs) was a 41.2% 3-point shooter last season for Tulane. So far this year, the 6-8, 205-pound product of Lafayette, Louisiana, has not been dialed in from behind the arc, as he has made only 6 of 25 trey tries (24%). In the loss to North Carolina, Williams had two points, three rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes.
• Gonzaga star Graham Ike (15 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 48.9% FGs) has a history of playing well vs. UK. Two seasons ago, when he Zags beat the Cats 89-85 at Rupp Arena, the 6-9, 250-pound Ike had 23 points in 24 minutes of playing time. Last season in Kentucky’s 90-89 overtime win in Seattle, Ike went for 28 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
Advantage: Gonzaga
Center
• Kentucky freshman Malachi Moreno (10.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 apg, 60.4% FGs) had eight points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals vs. North Carolina. The 7-foot, 250-pound freshman from Great Crossing High School in Georgetown has been in double figures in scoring in four of UK’s eight games and in rebounding twice.
• Gonzaga’s Braden Huff (15.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 62.8% FGs) tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 points in the blowout loss to Michigan. The 6-10, 250-pound junior from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, made only 7 of 17 shots vs. the Wolverines, however. In two previous games vs. Kentucky, Huff is averaging 7 ppg and 3 rpg.
Advantage: Even
Shooting guard
• Kentucky senior Otega Oweh (13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 47.6% FGs, 30.4% treys) played well in the loss to North Carolina. The 6-4, 220-pound senior from Newark, New Jersey, hit 6 of 11 shots and finished with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. In last season’s UK win over Gonzaga, Oweh had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.
• Gonzaga’s Adam Miller (9.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 30.8% FGs) is another player on his fourth college team. The 6-3, 200-pound super-senior has also played for Illinois, LSU and Arizona State. As a sophomore at LSU, Miller had 15 points and two assists vs. UK in a 74-71 Wildcats win at Rupp Arena. He made 5 of 13 3-point shots in that game.
Advantage: Kentucky
Point guard
• Kentucky senior Denzel Aberdeen (team-high 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 49.4% FGs) is carrying a heavy load with expected UK starting lead guard Jaland Lowe sidelined by a shoulder injury. In the loss to North Carolina, Aberdeen, a 6-5, 195-pound senior from Orlando, Florida, played 35 minutes. He finished with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists but made only 4 of 13 shots and missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
• Gonzaga freshman Mario Saint-Supery (8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.1 apg, 39.6% FGs) had 10 points, five rebounds and six assists when the Bulldogs took down then-No. 8 Alabama, 96-85, on November 24. A 6-3, 199-pound product of Malaga, Spain, Saint-Supery has taken care of the basketball, having doled out 41 assists vs. only 13 turnovers.
Advantage: Even
Bench
• Kentucky junior big man Brandon Garrison (5.9 points, 5 rebounds, 58.8% FGs), a 6-10, 245-pound Oklahoma City product, made UK’s only 3-pointer in the loss to North Carolina. Garrison was terrific vs. Gonzaga last season, going for 10 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes. ... Sophomore Andrija Jelavic (6.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 51.2% FGs) drew praise from Mark Pope for the physicality with which he played against North Carolina. The 6-11, 225-pound Croatian forward had six points, four rebounds and a block in 24 minutes vs. the Tar Heels. ... Freshman guard Jasper Johnson (7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists) has made only 4 of 15 shots in UK’s three games to date vs. ranked opponents. ... Ex-Harlan County star Trent Noah (5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 52.6% FGs) had two points, an assist and a steal in 13 minutes vs. UNC.
• Gonzaga goes 10 deep. Emmanuel Innocenti (6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 57.1% FGs), a 6-5, 198-pound junior, hit 3 of 5 shots and had six points vs. Michigan. ... Former Florida State forward Jalen Warley (6.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 62.5% FGs) had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists in Gonzaga’s 83-68 win over Oklahoma on November 8. ... Ex-Eastern Washington forward Steele Venters (6.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 39% FGs) is a streaky 3-point threat. The 6-7, 200-pound Venters hit 4 of 7 treys and scored 14 points in a 100-61 rout of Maryland on November 25 after making 4 of 8 three-pointers for 12 points in the win over Alabama the previous day. ... Junior guard Braeden Smith (3 points, 4.4 assists) had seven assists in the loss to Michigan. ... Davis Fogle (6.7 points, 2 rebounds, 53.3% FGs), a 6-7, 200-pound freshman, had a career-high 19 points in a 122-50 win over Southern Utah on November 17.
Advantage: Gonzaga
Trends and history
• The all-time series between Kentucky and Gonzaga is tied 2-2.
• Kentucky coach Mark Pope went 1-9 vs. Gonzaga while coaching at Utah Valley (0-1 vs. the Zags) and BYU (1-8). Pope is 1-0 vs. the Bulldogs at UK.
• Gonzaga head man Mark Few is 2-2 vs. UK.
• Kentucky is 0-3 this season vs. teams ranked in the AP Top 25 and, going back to last year, has lost eight of its previous 10 such games.
• UK is 91-38 all-time in games played in metropolitan Nashville.
Advantage: Gonzaga
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Prediction
Gonzaga 84, Kentucky 72
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 8:02 AM.
