Kentucky Wildcats at Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Open Game Thread

Tonight, the Kentucky Wildcats face what might be thought of as an early exam for the non-conference season against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend.

Game particulars as follows, courtesy of UKAthletics.com:

Gameday Information
SEC/Big East Challenge Kentucky at Notre Dame Thurs., Nov. 29 - 7:00 p.m. ET South Bend, Ind. Game Notes: UK | UND
Coverage
TV: ESPN2 Radio: UK IMG Gametracker Live Video via WatchESPN Live Audio Text Updates

Both the Wildcats and the Fighting Irish have one loss on the season, Kentucky to the Duke Blue Devils and Notre Dame to the St. Joseph Hawks. This game represents the most recent renewal of a long and well-respected rivalry.

What Kentucky needs to do to win tonight:

• Control the Irish on the offensive glass. If Notre Dame dominates like the Maryland Terrapins did, it will be hard for Kentucky to win;
• Make 3-point shots. I think Mike Brey is going to zone UK a lot in order to avoid having to try to stop Archie Goodwin off the bounce, which Notre Dame isn't really set up to do. If UK makes threes, Notre Dame will be in a very bad place.
• Get to the line. This is the main way that Kentucky has developed into the third most efficient offensive team in the nation. The other side of the coin: Make the free throws.
• Defend the three. Notre Dame likes to shoot it, and they make it at a high percentage.
• Avoid fouls. Kentucky isn't deep enough to get into a lot of foul trouble, and Notre Dame is very clever with ball fakes.
• Run as much as possible. Notre Dame is not great in transition, and if Kentucky can rebound well enough to get into transition often, it will be an advantage for them.

This is going to be a tough game, and the Irish are a dangerous team. Kentucky must improve over recent performances, especially on the glass, to beat them.

This is a big game. We need it. Go, 'Cats!