The top-two winningest programs in college basketball history will meet for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons when No. 9 Kansas (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) plays at Kentucky (14-6, 5-3 SEC) as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 28. ESPN will televise the game at 7 p.m. (Central) with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Holly Rowe calling the action.
Kansas is first in all-time wins at 2,373, while Kentucky is second at 2,367. En route to the 2022 NCAA National Championship, Kansas passed Kentucky on the all-time wins list.
One player to watch for Kentucky is Oscar Tshiebwe, who had an incredible 37-point, 24-rebound effort against Georgia. His performance was the first 35-point, 20-rebound game for a Wildcat since Mike Phillips’ 35 points and 20 boards against LSU in 1976. Tshiebwe joins some of the biggest names in college basketball like Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson and Kevin Durant as one of the only Division I players since the 1996-97 season to go for at least 37 points and 23 rebounds in a game. Kentucky’s strong offensive rebounding, averaging 38.8% per KenPom.com, will also be a key factor in the game. During the Cats’ four-game winning streak, they have out-rebounded their opponents by a plus-13.3 margin. Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin are leading the way averaging 16.8 and 8.3 rebounds per game respectively. Additionally, Kentucky has been stingy on defense limiting their opponents to 25.7% from 3-point range during this four-game stretch. Saturday will also mark the final installment of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, with Kentucky holding a 5-3 record in the event’s history.
In the Bill Self era, which started in 2003-04, Kansas has an impressive record of 109-18 following a loss. Since 2012-13, KU has been even more efficient with a record of 56-9 after losses.
Kansas is 5-4 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, including 2-2 against Kentucky. Since 2007, KU is 9-6 in conference challenges which includes battles against opponents from the SEC, Pac-12 and Big East.
Kansas is No. 10 in the NET Rankings through games played on Jan. 25. Kansas is No. 1 in NET Strength of Schedule and has six Quadrant 1 wins.
Redshirt-junior Jalen Wilson leads the Big 12 in scoring at 21.4 ppg, which is 12th nationally. He has posted back-to-back 30-point games with a career-high 38 at Kansas State and 30 versus TCU. Wilson also leads the Big 12 with eight double-doubles, which is 26th nationally.
Redshirt-junior Dajuan Harris Jr. leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.07 (ninth nationally). His 6.4 assists per game are second in the league and fifth nationally.
Named to the 2023 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list, redshirt-senior Kevin McCullar Jr. leads the Big 12 in steals (2.5), which is ninth nationally.
Freshman Gradey Dick leads the Big 12 and is 15th nationally in three-point field goal percentage at 43.7%.
Kansas is celebrating 125 years of men’s basketball in 2022-23.
A UK win over No. 9 Kansas on Saturday would be a significant milestone for the Wildcats. Not only would it move Kentucky to 9-2 all-time against the Jayhawks in games played in Lexington, but it would also be the Cats’ second win in a row over an AP top-10 team. In addition, it would improve UK’s record in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to 6-3 and 3-2 against Kansas specifically. To top it off, a win would improve Kentucky’s record at home to an impressive 12-1 this season. With so much on the line, fans can expect a thrilling matchup between two of college basketball’s most storied programs.
This game between Kansas and Kentucky is one that college basketball fans will not want to miss. With two of the most successful programs in history facing off, it’s sure to be an exciting and competitive game. Tune in to ESPN on January 28th at 7 p.m. Central time to watch the action unfold.
