By R.L. Bynum
No. 16 North Carolina (6–1) at No. 18 Kentucky (5–2)
When: 9:40 p.m. Tuesday (it may start later because the Florida at Duke game starts at 7:30 on the same channel)
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Ky.
What: ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge
TV: ESPN: Dave O’Brien play-by-play, Dick Vitale and Jay Williams analysts
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Line: Kentucky -7½
Over/under: 161½
Moneylines: UNC +265; Kentucky -345
KenPom/Dimers predicted score: Kentucky 83, UNC 75
Event details: This is the third season of the Challenge, with both teams 1–1. No. 17 UNC won at home against No. 10 Tennessee 100–92 in 2023; the No. 20 Tar Heels lost at home to No. 10 Alabama 92–79 in 2024. No. 12 Kentucky beat No. 8 Miami at home 94–73 at home in 2023; the No. 4 Wildcats lost at Clemson 70–66 in 2024. The Challenge finished tied at 7 in 2023, but the SEC won 14–2 in 2024.
Coaches: Hubert Davis (106–46 in five seasons, all at UNC) and Mark Pope (211–121 in 11 seasons; 26–14 in his second season at Kentucky)
UNC projected starters: Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar (none played for Carolina last season)
Series: UNC leads 25–18 (see list below), including 2–5 at Rupp Arena and 6–8 overall in Lexington; UK has won three of the last four, including both matchups under Davis. The 25 UNC wins over Kentucky match Indiana for the most by a non-SEC school.
Common opponent: Both lost to Michigan State on a neutral site by similar margins, UNC 74–58 on Thursday in Fort Myers, Fla., and Kentucky 83–66 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 18.
Kentucky results
Oct. 24: 78–65 home exhibition win over Purdue
Oct. 30: 84–70 home exhibition loss to Georgetown
Nov. 4: 77–51 home win over Nicholls
Nov. 7: 107–59 home win over Valparaiso
Nov. 11: 96–88 home loss to Louisville
Nov 14: 99–52 home win over Eastern Illinois
Nov. 18: 83–66 loss in Madison Square Garden at the Champions Classic to Michigan State
Nov. 21: 88–46 home win over Loyola (Md.)
Nov. 26: 104–54 home win over Tennessee Tech
Davis says Heels have to get better in ‘trenches’
Projected Kentucky starters
No. 1 | G | Denzel Aberdeen | 6–5, 195 | senior | Florida transfer
— Team-leading 14.0 points, 53.0 FG%, 38.7 3FG%, 80.0 FT%, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists
— Has scored in double figures for seven straight games, a career-high
No. 00 | G | Otega Oweh (top photo) | 6–4, 220 | senior | Oklahoma transfer in second season at UK
— 13.0 points, 46.5 FG%, 31.8 3P%, 90.0 FT%, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 turnovers, 1.1 steals
— SEC Preseason Player of the Year after leading the team last season with 57 steals
— Has scored in double figures in the last seven games
No. 5 | G | Colin Chandler | 6–5, 205 | sophomore
— 11.7 points, 50.9 FG%, 48.8 3P%, 66.7 FT%, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists
— Has scored a team-high 20 3-pointers
No. 24 | C | Malachi Moreno | 7–0, 250 | freshman
— 10.6 points, 58.7 FG%, 62.5 FT%, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 blocks
— Was a McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Kentucky while leading his school to the state title as a senior
No. 3 | F | Kam Williams | 6–8, 205 | senior | Tulane transfer
— 5.4 points, 45.5 FG%, 26.1 3P%, 2–2 FT, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists
— Scored a season-high 24 points in Tulane’s season-finale against UAB
Keys to victory
Kentucky:
— Control tempo, force turnovers, and get Otega Oweh going offensively. Kentucky often pushes pace, tries to get out in transition, and uses athleticism to create turnovers or quick buckets. If UNC is sloppy, that could play into UK’s hands.
— Play good interior defense against Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar; avoid over-helping on drives.
Carolina:
— Dominate the boards, limit transition chances and get Wilson touches early. Historically, when the Tar Heels win in Lexington, they win the rebounding battle — a path they used in a memorable 83–79 win in 2005 with a 37–30 rebounding edge.
— Shoot well from 3-point range to stretch Kentucky’s defense. Kentucky may dare UNC to shoot from outside or run offensive sets to exploit mismatches. UNC can’t afford to let perimeter defenders roam or get beat off the dribble.
Notes
— Kentucky has played recent games without talented Pittsburgh transfer guard Jaland Lowe (day-to-day; shoulder injury; has missed five games), power forward Mo Dioubate (day-to-day; ankle injury; two games) and Jayden Quaintance (ACL injury recovery; all seven games).
— Seven Wildcats have led them in scoring this season.
— Carolina hasn’t played at Rupp Arena since 2014, and has lost three straight games at Rupp Arena since winning 86–77 on Dec. 1, 2007.
— This game is part of a four-game stretch with UNC’s opponents combining for a 23–5 record (St. Bonaventure 6–1, Michigan State 7–0, Kentucky 5–2 and Georgetown 5–2).
— Carolina is second in the country in two-point field-goal percentage defense (38.5%) while Kentucky is 19th in two-point field-goal percentage offense (62.3%).
— While at Alabama, Jarin Stevenson was 3–1 against Kentucky, scoring 16 points (6 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 5 on 3-point attempts) in a 99–70 win in last season’s SEC Tournament.
— Kentucky’s 104–54 victory over Tennessee Tech marked only the third time since 2004–05 that the Wildcats made at least 66% percent on 2-point attempts, 50% of its 3-point attempts and 84% of its free-throw attempts. Seven players scored 3-pointers.
— Caleb Wilson, who many recruiting analysts thought one year ago would commit to Kentucky, leads UNC in scoring average (19.9), rebounding average (9.9), steals per game (1.7) and free-throw percentage (76.8%).
UNC season statistics
Kentucky season statistics
Statistical comparison
| Category | UNC | UK |
| Points per game | 83.3 | 89.9 |
| Scoring defense | 65.7 | 63.1 |
| Scoring margin | +17.6 | +26.8 |
| FG% | 46.8% | 50.5% |
| 3P FG % | 31.8% | 35.3% |
| 3P per game | 8.1 | 10.1 |
| FT% | 72.0% | 74.2% |
| FG% defense | 36.5% | 35.8% |
| 3FG% defense | 32.9% | 27.6% |
| Opponent 3P/game | 7.4 | 7.9 |
| Rebounds per game | 43.6 | 46.3 |
| Rebounding margin | +9.9 | +14.4 |
| Assists per game | 16.6 | 20.6 |
| Turnovers per game | 11.1 | 10.6 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 10.9 | 11.1 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | UK |
| Overall ranking | 31 | 11 |
| Offensive efficiency | 117.8 (45) | 121.8 (17) |
| Defensive efficiency | 98.6 (53) | 94.9 (12) |
| Effective FG% | 53.6 (106) | 58.2 (26) |
| Turnover % | 15.6 (91) | 14.6 (61) |
| Offensive rebound % | 36.5 (52) | 35.7 (70) |
| FTA/FGA | 45.3 (45) | 26.9 (333) |
| Strength of schedule | 236 | 332 |
Series: UNC 25, Kentucky 18
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Duke | 5–0 | 16–1 | 3 |
| No. 22 Clemson | 5–0 | 15–3 | 26 |
| Miami | 4–0 | 15–2 | 31 |
| No. 16 Virginia | 4–1 | 15–2 | 14 |
| N.C. State | 3–1 | 12–5 | 29 |
| Syracuse | 3–1 | 12–5 | 60 |
| Stanford | 3–2 | 14–4 | 65 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 2–2 | 14–3 | 30 |
| No. 24 SMU | 2–2 | 13–4 | 32 |
| Virginia Tech | 2–3 | 13–5 | 55 |
| No. 20 Louisville | 2–3 | 12–5 | 21 |
| Notre Dame | 1–3 | 10–7 | 72 |
| Wake Forest | 1–3 | 10–7 | 59 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–3 | 8–9 | 101 |
| California | 1–4 | 13–5 | 69 |
| Georgia Tech | 1–4 | 10–8 | 164 |
| Boston College | 0–4 | 7–10 | 181 |
| Florida State | 0–4 | 7–10 | 134 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Tuesday’s results
No. 22 Clemson 74, Boston College 50
Miami 81, Notre Dame 69
No. 16 Virginia 79, No. 20 Louisville 70
Syracuse 94, Florida State 86
Wednesday’s results
Stanford 95, No. 14 North Carolina 90
Pittsburgh 89, Georgia Tech 66
SMU 77, Virginia Tech 76
No. 6 Duke 71, California 56
Saturday’s games
No. 16 Virginia at SMU, noon, ESPN2
Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, noon, ACC Network
Georgia Tech at N.C. State, noon, The CW
Syracuse at Boston College, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at No. 22 Clemson, 2:15, The CW
No. 14 North Carolina at California, 4 p.m., ACC Network
No. 6 Duke at Stanford, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at Florida State, 6 p.m., ESPN
No. 20 Louisville at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Tuesday’s games
N.C. State at No. 22 Clemson, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Florida State at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPNU
SMU at Wake Forest, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Wednesday, Jan. 21, games
Notre Dame at No. 14 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Pittsburgh at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 9 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 11 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 12 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at No. 16 Virginia | ESPN |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 6 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photos via @KentuckyMBB
tarheeltribune.com 