Scouting Report: Kentucky Wildcats
Tonight Miami will have the honor of doing something never done before. The inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge tips off at Rupp Arena when the Miami Hurricanes take on the Kentucky Wildcats.
Lets get into the scouting report on the Kentucky Wildcats.
Kentucky Projected Starters
(Starting lineup based on the last game)
#21 – DJ Wagner
6-4 • 192 • GUARD • FRESHMAN
14.5 PPG, 3.7 APG
#12 – Antonio Reeves
6-6 • 195 • GUARD • SENIOR
19.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG
#3 – Adou Thiero
6-8 • 222 • GUARD • SOPHOMORE
8.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG
#1 – Justin Edwards
6-8 • 203 • FORWARD • FRESHMAN
10.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG
#4 – Tre Mitchell
6-9 • 231 • FORWARD • GRADUATE STUDENT
15.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.5 APG
Head Coach: John Calipari (32nd season, 15th at UK) – 837-254 overall, 392-114 at UK
Miami (FL) Projected Starters
(Starting lineup based on the last game)
#5 – Wooga Poplar
6-5 • 197 • GUARD • JUNIOR
18.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 APG
#0 – Matthew Cleveland
6-7 • 208 • GUARD • JUNIOR
16.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.4 APG
#24 – Nijel Pack
6-0 • 185 • GUARD • JUNIOR
16.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.0 APG
#15 – Norchad Omier
6-7 • 240 • FORWARD • JUNIOR
15.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.0 APG
#4 – Bensley Joseph
6-2 • 196 • GUARD • SOPHOMORE
11.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.2 APG
Head Coach: Jim Larrañaga (13th season at Miami (FL), 40th overall): 730-483
Statistical Comparison
(via Kentucky’s game notes)
Scouting Report
The Kentucky Wildcats will stay at home for another game and welcome the Miami Hurricanes at 7:30 p.m. ET on November 28th at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard on Tuesday.
Kentucky has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 20 points or more this season. They claimed a resounding 118-82 victory over the Thundering Herd at home. Winning is a bit easier when you nail seven more threes than your opponent, as Kentucky did.
D.J. Wagner was the offensive standout of the contest as he scored 28 points along with 5 assists and 3 steals. He continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played. The team also got some help courtesy of Rob Dillingham, who scored 16 points along with 8 assists and 5 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Miami put another one in the bag last Sunday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 91-83.
Miami relied on the efforts of Norchad Omier, who scored 23 points along with 7 rebounds and 3 steals, and Nijel Pack, who went 7 for 12 from beyond the arc en route to 28 points and 0 assists. Wooga Poplar was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with 6 rebounds.
The Wildcats pushed their record up to 5-1 with that win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 96.4 points per game. As for the Hurricanes, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Not only did both teams in this Tuesday’s matchup win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking forward, Kentucky is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by six points. This will be Miami’s first time playing on the road this season.
Tuesday’s matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Kentucky has themselves a killer kicker this season, having drained 51% of their shots per game. However, it’s not like Miami struggles in that department as they’ve drained 52.4% of theirs this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Vegas on Kentucky vs. Miami
Kentucky is a 5.5-point favorite over Miami on FanDuel, with a total of 164.5. The Cats are 3-3 against the spread (ATS) this year, while the over has hit in four straight contests. The Hurricanes are 4-1 ATS, with the over cashing four times this fall.
The Canes and the Cats have faced off four times and not once over the last 15 years. Kentucky is 3-1 in the series, only dropping the most recent matchup back when Billy Gillispie was on the sideline in 2008.
Trinton is the owner of CanesToday. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, he is a freshman in high school and wants to graduate from the University of Miami
