The Blue Bloods Battle is between the all-time winningest Wildcats and the third-winningest Tar Heels. In their head-to-head series, UNC leads 25-18, but has lost three of the last four meetings since the historic 2017 Elite Eight win on Luke Maye’s buzzer beater.
Carolina won Roy Williams’ third NCAA championship, while Kentucky netted only once during Ole Roy’s run in 2012 under John Calipari. That’s why Tuesday night’s 9:30 game in Lexington poses a bigger threat to programs whose legacy is in decline.
Much of this is a result of how college basketball is constantly changing. Both juggernauts were better off before the introduction of transfer portals, zero sponsorships and revenue sharing for players.
When 5-star recruits announce their final schools under consideration, Kentucky and Carolina are likely listed in their social media posts. But when it came time to make the announcement, money became more important than veteran status.
This is shown with their latest squads. For the second time in Hubert Davis’ five seasons, Carolina has an almost entirely new roster. Kentucky features several new players and second-year coach Mark Pope, an alumnus and former Wildcat who spent five seasons at BYU.
Right now, both teams are ranked but not in their traditional top 10 spots. The Heels, 6-1, are No. 16, and the Wildcats, 5-2, are No. 18. Expectations have not diminished for each and the pressure is on to have a better season in Hubert’s fourth and Pope’s first.
They have already played a common opponent, losing to No. 7 Michigan State by 16 and 17 points, both on neutral courts. Kentucky’s second loss came at sixth-ranked ACC Louisville by eight points. Carolina’s best win was against Kansas at home by 13 points.
Home-court advantage in the Rupp Arena scare makes the Wildcats 8.5-point favorites over the Tar Heels, who will have the best player on the floor in freshman Caleb Wilson with 20-point and 10-rebound averages. Kentucky is slightly better balanced with all five starters in double figures, led by senior guard Denzel Aberdeen with 14-point and 1.6-steal averages. ‘The Cats have better shooting stats in field goals, three-pointers and free throws and a 144-74 assist-turnover ratio than the Heels’ which is obviously lower than 116-78.
In the key race for a Quad 1 win, Kentucky has none so far and is ahead of the Carolina Jayhawks, with another chance against Ohio State in Atlanta on Dec. 20, with the 18-game ACC schedule starting 10 days later.
Davis has 11 freshmen on the team and is still trying to make every play flawless in the second half against Kansas. The Spartans’ loss in Fort Myers was largely due to their inability to handle their relentless defense, which would also be a challenge against Kentucky, with over 20,000 fans lifting the can in Blue Heaven’s version.
Featured image via Associated Press/Brian Anderson and Michael Conroy.
Art Chansky is an experienced journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to the WCHL for decades, making his first appearance as a student in 1971 “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Arts Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge a subscription fee, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want to know more about what you see at Chapelborough? Let us bring you free local news and community information by signing up for our newsletter.
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