How to watch Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky, what to look forward to, and forecasts

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will play the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena after a good 5-0 start, their first since the 2016–17 season.

Even though the two teams are just over two hours apart, this will only be their eighth meeting overall and their fourth in the regular season.

Hank Plona, a first-year head coach who was promoted from an assistant coach role, leads the Hilltoppers. They return a lot of their team from last year, including Don McHenry, who was named to the Conference USA First Team. Before the season, the Toppers were picked to finish second in the league. They will be a tough opponent for Kentucky.

WKU is placed 129th by KenPom. They have played only one higher-ranked team so far, and that was Duke.

Watch out for these things in Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky.

Time

Up until Western Kentucky, Kentucky hadn’t really played a team that likes to play as fast as they do. In fact, Western Kentucky and Kentucky are tied in adjusted pace (73.6). The only thing that makes the teams different is that the Hilltoppers are 223rd in offensive effectiveness while the Wildcats are 11th.

Kentucky’s offense is much better, and the game is expected to be a track meet. That looks like it will be another explosive scoring game.

Going Back

Western Kentucky is good at more than just playing fast. They are also good at defensive rebounds. They are ranked in the top 25 in defensive rebounding rate, which makes it hard for their opponents to get second chances.

In contrast, Mark Pope aims for 14 offensive rebounds every game. The Wildcats got 10 against Duke, which is just as good at defending the boards as the Hilltoppers. At the end of the game, they got some big ones.

It’s another test in a subject that Mark Pope wants to get better at.

3-Point Front Line vs. Back Line

Kentucky’s attack is based on making three-pointers, but Western Kentucky’s is based on defending the arc. In terms of 3-point defense, the Hilltoppers are 62nd in the country. They only let opponents make 28% from deep.

Also, Kentucky just had their best game of the season in terms of made 3-pointers and 3-point tries, and they want to build on that.

An added bonus: TV

Not counting the Duke game, it looks like every game since the summer has only been available online. This one will be on a real TV station, thank goodness, through ESPNU.

Hurray!

Watch Out for:

G Don McHenry (6-2, 168 lbs.)

17.2 PPG

2.2 SPG

2024 picked for the CUSA First Team

F Baby Faye Babamar 6 feet 8 inches tall and 215 pounds

15 points per game,

7.8 rebounds per game, and

48% field goal success rate

A G Julian Thedford 5 feet 8 inches tall and 190 pounds

12.4% 3P,

11.4% RPG,

Basketball game between Kentucky and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

There will be a 6:30 PM ET start time on November 26, 2024.

Where: Lexington, Kentucky’s Rupp Arena

TV Station: ESPNU

It was announced by Roy Philpott and Pat Bradley.

ESPN+ and the ESPN app let you stream online.

Podcast: On the UK Sports Radio Network, Tom Leach and Jack Givens are on the podcast call.

Watch ESPN and SEC Network for replays (check local channels).

Roll Call: UK | WKU

Notable Facts: UK | WKU

In KenPom, UK and WKU

England vs. West Kentucky

Bets: The exact spread has not been released by FanDuel Sportsbook yet. Please check back later when it is. There is at least a 90% chance that Kentucky will avoid what would be a huge home upset, according to Bart Torvik (90%), EvanMiya (94.1%), KenPom (96%), and ESPN (97.3%).

It looks like Kentucky will win by at least 16 points according to KenPom (88-69), Haslametrics (92-70), Bart Torvik (90-74), and EvanMiya (87-67). Picking Kentucky to win 88–71!

Send us your guesses for the Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky score! Support the Cats!!