Kentucky vs. UCLA has the potential to be one of the most entertaining games of college basketball’s regular season. On the surface, it’s a meeting of the No. 1 Wildcats and a UCLA team that has surged to No. 11 in the AP Poll with an undefeated start through eight games. Dig deeper and you’ll find two elite offenses powered by dynamic freshmen stars.
UCLA vs. Kentucky 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch online
The stars are out for UCLA-Kentucky, which promises to be one of the must-see matchups this year.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
No player has opened more eyes early in the season than Bruins point guard Lonzo Ball. Ball is leading the country in assists at 9.6 per game while also chipping in 14.6 points per game on 57.7 percent shooting from the floor and 47 percent shooting from three-point range. Ball is simply one of the most exciting talents in the country, but he hasn’t faced anything like Kentucky yet in his short college career.
Ball’s matchup will be another top freshmen point guard: Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox. Fox is fifth in the nation in assists (7.6 per game) while scoring 15.3 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the floor. Fox is a speed demon who excels at getting his teammates involved in transition, which has fueled a Wildcats offense that ranks No. 5 nationwide in efficiency.
When the Wildcats get going, they are a joy to watch:
Fox’s running mate in the backcourt is Malik Monk, a 6’4 freshman guard who is a highlight reel come to life. Monk is leading Kentucky in scoring at 19.3 points per game while canning 21 threes at a 38 percent clip. UCLA will counter with another elite freshman scorer in power forward T.J. Leaf, who is averaging 17 points per game on over 68 percent shooting from the floor.
The question in this game is two-fold: Can UCLA’s defense stop Kentucky’s high-powered offense? If not, can the Bruins simply outscore them? This will also be a great test of the Wildcats’ defense, which hasn’t faced an opponent as potent as the Bruins.
These two programs have a recent history. UCLA stunned Kentucky last season, while the Wildcats blew out the Bruins, 83-44, on a neutral floor in Chicago back in 2014. The winner has flipped during the last six meetings between the two schools.
The fun gets going in Lexington at 12:30 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know:
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
When: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Stream: CBS All Access
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