Kentucky boasts nation’s top rebounder, guard with second-best assist average

By R.L. Bynum

For the second consecutive CBS Sports Classic, adjustments because of COVID-19 have altered the schedule and created a North Carolina-Kentucky matchup. This one against the No. 21 Wildcats will be at 5:30 p.m. Saturday (CBS) in Las Vegas.

Last season in Cleveland, event organizers matched up teams with similar COVID testing protocols, and that led to the Tar Heels earning a 75–63 victory over the Wildcats after originally being scheduled to face Ohio State.

Armando Bacot scored 11 of his team-high 14 points in the second half as the Tar Heels overcame a double-digit deficit to win.

Last season, the change was made three days before. This season, it comes the day before because UCLA, the opponent Carolina was originally scheduled to face, had to cancel its second consecutive game because of COVID-19 issues.

But while the Tar Heels (8–2) take a five-game win streak into the game, the Wildcats (7–2) come off a 66–62 road loss to Notre Dame last Saturday. Kentucky’s other loss came against Duke 79–71 in the opener for both teams on Nov. 9.

Junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe (6–9, 255 pounds), who transferred from West Virginia, leads Kentucky, averaging 16.3 points and a nation-leading 14.4 rebounds per game. He also leads the country in offensive rebounding percentage (25.2%) and offensive rebounds per game (6.1). In nine games, he has 17 blocks.

Freshman guard TyTy Washington Jr. (6–4, 197) averages 13.8 points per game and has 30 assists against 16 turnovers. Junior forward Keion Brooks Jr. (7-6, 210) averages 11.8 points.

Junior guard Sahvir Wheeler (5–9, 180) is averaging 9.9 points and has 69 assists against 29 turnovers. The transfer from Georgia is averaging 7.7 assists per game, ranked second in the country.

Graduate guard Kellan Grady, a transfer from Davidson, has a team-best 18 3-pointers and is shooting 40% from outside the arc.

This is the fourth time UNC and Kentucky have met in the CBS Sports Classic. UNC won 75–63 in Cleveland in 2020 and Kentucky won 80–72 in 2018 in Chicago before last season’s meeting.

The Tar Heels lead the all-time series 25–16, winning two of the last three matchups beginning with the 75–73 regional-final win in Memphis on March 26, 2017, when Luke Maye hit the game-winner.

Kentucky coach John Calipari is 7–4 against Carolina.

Kentucky season statistics

UNC season statistics

Date	Score, record/ day, time, TV	Location	Opponent
	November (4–2)
5	83–55 exhibition win	Home	Elizabeth City State
9	83–67 win, 1–0	Home	Loyola Maryland
12	94–87 win, 2–0	Home	Brown
16	94–83 win, 3–0	Road	College of Charleston
20	93–84 loss, 3–1	Uncasville, Conn.	Y — No. 3 Purdue
21	89–72 loss, 3–2	Uncasville, Conn.	Y — No. 18 Tennessee
23	72–53 win, 4–2	Home	UNC Asheville
	December (4–0, 1-0 ACC)
1	72–51 win, 5–2	Home	X — Michigan
5	79–62 win, 6–2, 1-0 ACC	Road	Georgia Tech
11	80–63 win, 7–2	Home	Elon
14	74–61 win, 8–2	Home	Furman
18	Saturday, 5:30, CBS	Las Vegas	Z — No. 21 Kentucky
21	Tuesday, 7, ACCN	Home	Appalachian State
29	Wednesday, 7, ESPN2	Home	Virginia Tech
	January
1	Saturday, noon, ACCN	Road	Boston College
5	Wednesday, 9, ESPN2	Road	Notre Dame
8	Saturday, 1, ESPN	Home	Virginia
15	Saturday, 8, ACCN	Home	Georgia Tech
18	Tuesday, TBA, ESPN	Road	Miami
22	Saturday, 8, ACCN	Road	Wake Forest
26	Wednesday, RSN	Home	Boston College
29	Saturday, 2, ACCN	Home	N.C. State
31	Monday, 7, ESPN	Road	Louisville
	February
5	Saturday, 6, ESPN	Home	No. 2 Duke
8	Tuesday, 9, ESPN or ESPN2	Road	Clemson
12	Saturday, 2, ESPN or ESPN2	Home	Florida State
16	Wednesday, 8, ACCN	Home	Pittsburgh
19	Saturday, 4, ESPN or ESPN2	Road	Virginia Tech
21	Monday, 7, ESPN	Home	Louisville
26	Saturday, 2 or 4, ESPN or ESPN2	Road	N.C. State
28	Monday, 7, ESPN	Home	Syracuse
	March
5	Saturday, 6, ESPN	Road	No. 2 Duke
8– 12	ACC Tournament	Brooklyn

Photo via @UNC_Basketball