Kentucky basketball is undefeated and up to No. 4 in the polls but the Wildcats have one of their two biggest tests of the season tonight in Littlejohn Coliseum against the Clemson Tigers.
It's Kentucky's first true road game of the Mark Pope era and a chance for another resume-building win early in the year.
Here are game takes and predictions from Cats Illustrated staff members.
What do you make of the Kentucky/Clemson matchup and how do you see it playing out?
Jeff Drummond: The Duke game was a big test for Kentucky, and one that the Wildcats passed with flying colors in the Champions Classic, but this is an entirely different type of challenge for Mark Pope & Co. This will be the first time we see how the Cats respond to a hostile environment. While it has yet to face an elite opponent, Clemson is ranked in the Top 40 for both offense and defense in KenPom’s efficiency ratings. The Tigers also play at a much slower tempo than UK, so it will be a test to see if the Cats can still succeed if it turns into a grinder. I watched EKU lead deep into the second half against Clemson on Nov. 12, and while comparative scores are often dubious, I’ll take that info into account with my pick of Kentucky 81, Clemson 77
David Sisk: Kentucky travels to Clemson Tuesday night, and I am excited about it. Duke was a great win, but outside of that the competition has been sparse. The Tigers are 7-1, but there aren’t any impressive wins on their slate. Brad Brownell’s team has solid experience returning off an Elite Eight team. Ian Schieffelin is a solid big, and Chase Hunter, Chauncey Wiggins, and Dillon Hunter are familiar names in the backcourt who have had success. This is also UK’s first true road game which can be concerning for a new roster. Clemson’s defense will keep the Cats from breaking the century mark, and I don’t look for Kentucky to burn the nets off from deep. But I do believe Kentucky will speed the pace up just enough to come away with a win. UK wants it fast. The Tigers want to get it in the mud. Kentucky 80 Clemson 77
Travis Graf: This game is going to be interesting for everyone tracking this Kentucky team this season. It’s the first true road matchup, and it comes against a solid team who knows who they are at their core. Both teams shoot the ball very well from the perimeter, but Clemson is a little more focused on getting into the interior. This game comes down to two things for me — if Kentucky makes shots on the road and if they rebound the ball. If they check both boxes I think they’ll win the game. Chase Hunter can fill it up from the outside and is the headliner for the Tigers, but I like their front court better than their backcourt. I have a feeling all of Kentucky’s forwards have solid outings on the way to a quality road win. Kentucky 84, Clemson 76.
Justin Rowland: Kentucky has been the better team this year, but we all know that road games in college basketball are pretty much crapshoots when you get to the high-major level. Clemson's only blemish this year was a road loss at Boise State when they didn't play well in the second half. That doesn't mean much for a home game when they'll be amped up. Ian Schieffelin will be one of the bigger big man tests Kentucky sees for a lot of this year, as the ACC's Most Improved Player last year, and the Tigers are shooting 39.6% from three-point range as a team. We don't know how Kentucky is going to play on the road this year but it helps that Pope has a very experienced team that seems to have toughness. I'll call for Clemson to win on the back of a home court advantage and the fact that Kentucky hasn't seen the road or really been tested much aside from the Duke game. Clemson 84, Kentucky 81.
