Live updates: Kentucky vs. Ohio State college basketball in CBS Sports Classic

By John Clay

Updated December 21, 2024 10:47 PM

Game day: Ohio State 85, No. 4 Kentucky 65

Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Ohio State in New York City.

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The No. 4-ranked Kentucky Wildcats play the Ohio State Buckeyes in college basketball’s CBS Sports Classic on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. CBS is televising the games in New York City, which begin with North Carolina vs. UCLA at 3 p.m. followed by UK-Ohio State.

Ben Roberts is in New York to cover the action; Mark Story, Cameron Drummond and myself will be watching back in Lexington. You can follow Ben on Bluesky at @benrobertshl. You can follow the rest of us on X/Twitter at @markcstory, @cdrummond97 and @johnclayiv.

Click here to follow a Kentucky basketball list on X/Twitter.

Final: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65

Final box: https://t.co/orHles2co8
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) December 22, 2024

Kentucky is 4-of-20 from 3-point range and has been outscored 36-20 in the paint. Pretty much sums it up.

Ohio State leads 73-61 with 3:30 left in the CBS Sports Classic.#BBN #ukbasketball
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) December 22, 2024

Game getting away from Kentucky now. Cats had cut Ohio State's lead to 51-45, but now trail 64-51 with 9:30 left.

Ohio State shooting 60 percent from the floor for the game.#BBN #ukbasketball
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) December 22, 2024

Kentucky back within 6 points, trailing Ohio State 51-45 with 14:20. More energy and a bit of a fast pace this half for the Cats. #BBN #ukbasketball
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) December 22, 2024

HALF: Ohio State 39, Kentucky 30Andrew Carr: 9 pointsOtega Oweh: 6 points (6/6 FTs)Lamont Butler: 2 fouls; Made his only shot, plus 2 assists, 2 stealsPts in paint: Buckeyes 24, Wildcats 10Cats: 8-for-23 on FGs, 2-for-11 on 3s
— Ben Roberts (@benrobertshl.bsky.social) December 21, 2024 at 6:56 PM

Halftime: Ohio State 39, Kentucky 30

Box: https://t.co/bYtsq95gzK
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) December 21, 2024

Ohio State up 28-21 on Kentucky as Mark Pope calls timeout with 4:26 left in first half.

Buckeyes shooting 59.1 percent from the floor. UK shooting 38.9.#BBN #ukbasketball
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) December 21, 2024

Ohio State leading scorer Devin Royal gets his second foul with more than 11 minutes left in the first half. Cats will shoot the bonus the rest of the way.Kentucky 19, Ohio State 18. 10:19 left in the first half.UK: 5 of 9 FTs; OSU: 1 of 1 FTs
— Ben Roberts (@benrobertshl.bsky.social) December 21, 2024 at 6:29 PM

Gameday in the Big Apple

- 5:15 p.m. ET
- @CBS: https://t.co/f2fXWeR7q0
- @UKSportsNetwork: https://t.co/KnStnNFffh
- https://t.co/J0BXVJyaSh
️ - https://t.co/jzFGnk6D3Q
- @TheGarden
- https://t.co/NmU6INBMoR
- https://t.co/PljXI4Nox5
-… pic.twitter.com/safD3qRNEP
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 21, 2024

Dec 21, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Amari Williams (22) posts up against Ohio State Buckeyes forward Sean Stewart (13) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images — Kentucky center Amari Williams (22) posts up against Ohio State forward Sean Stewart (13) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. John Jones USA TODAY NETWORK

Scouting report: Ohio State

The Buckeyes enter Saturday with a 7-4 record. Coach Jake Diebler and his team own wins over Texas and Rutgers but have lost to Texas A&M (78-64), Pittsburgh (91-90 in overtime), Maryland (83-59) and Auburn (91-53). In its last game, Ohio State beat Valparaiso 95-73 on Tuesday in Columbus.

Devin Royal, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, leads the Buckeyes in scoring (15.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.9). Ohio State is 38th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rankings, 37th on offense and 54th on defense. The Buckeyes are 11th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 40.6.

Ohio State men’s basketball roster

Ohio State men’s basketball schedule and results

Scouting report: Kentucky

Coach Mark Pope and his Wildcats are 10-1 after a 93-85 win over archrival Louisville last Saturday. UK owns a pair of wins over top-10 teams, including 77-72 over then-No. 6 Duke and 90-89 in overtime over then-No. 7 Gonzaga.

Otega Oweh leads UK in scoring at 15.7 points per game. Lamont Butler scored 33 points against Louisville. The Cats are ranked 11th by KenPom, including eighth on offense and 50th on defense. UK ranks 12th in 3-point defense, holding opponents to 27.5% shooting from beyond the arc.

Kentucky men’s basketball roster

Kentucky men’s basketball schedule and results

Cayden to Cam!

Boozer's getting things started for Christopher Columbus HS

City of Palms Classic on the NBA App
https://t.co/8PfRdcmCnh pic.twitter.com/8f3agUB0yv
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) December 20, 2024

This story was originally published December 21, 2024 at 4:00 PM.

John Clay

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-472-4218

John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky, he covered UK football from 1987 until being named sports columnist in 2000. He has covered 20 Final Fours and 42 consecutive Kentucky Derbys. Support my work with a digital subscription