The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the St. John’s Red Storm on Saturday afternoon in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta. Game time is set for 12:30 PM ET on CBS.
The Cats are now 7-4 on the season following their first decent win of the season. Until last Saturday, Kentucky had dominated the weak squads on its schedule, but it had been outright embarrassed by any team with a pulse. The Cats have dropped games to the Louisville Cardinals on the road, the Michigan State Spartans and Gonzaga Bulldogs at neutral sites, and the North Carolina Tar Heels at home.
Mark Pope’s squad hopefully found something in last Saturday’s win over the Indiana Hoosiers in Lexington. Early on, it looked like another game that UK would drop, but they put it all together in the second half on the way to a double-digit win over a solid IU team.
However, it must be acknowledged that Pope has struggled against ranked opponents at Kentucky. He has lost eight of his last nine games against ranked opponents at UK, and he is still under .500 against Power Conference teams. So while the win over Indiana was nice, it’s hard to believe this team has truly turned the corner until they beat someone good.
Jaland Lowe’s return played a big part in the Cats’ win this past Saturday, and I expect that to be the case going forward as long as he’s healthy. Mouhamed Dioubate returned from injury as well, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Now, Jayden Quaintance will be making his season debut. Adding a top-10 NBA Draft pick to this team could do wonders, and we’ll get an idea of what he’s capable of today.
As for the Red Storm, the biggest storyline is Rick Pitino vs. his former player — someone that he’s strongly supported since getting the Kentucky job. Pitino put together a very good squad last season, but this year’s team has looked a lot more mortal. Their record is 7-3, including wins over Baylor and Ole Miss, and losses to Alabama, Iowa State, and Auburn.
To add to the intrigue, St. John’s leading scorer is former Cat Bryce Hopkins. The Red Storm may not be as good as they were last year, but they have a lot of talent and a Hall of Fame. This game is going to be a huge challenge for Pope. It’s another opportunity to boost the resume, or hurt it.
