Kentucky vs UAB: Game time, TV channel, live stream, odds, rosters & prediction

UAB Blazers (4-1) at Kentucky Wildcats (5-1)

• Game Time: 7 pm EST on November 29
• Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky
• TV Channel: SEC Network
• Announcers: Paul Sunderland and Daymeon Fishback will have the call.
• Radio: Tom Leach and Mike Pratt are on the UK radio network call on 630 AM, 98.1 FM in Lexington, and on the UK Sports Network.
• Online radio: TuneIn broadcast or UKAthletics.com.
• Online Stream: The game can be streamed online via WatchESPN.
• Odds: Kentucky is a 19.5-point favorite as of Friday afternoon. ESPN BPI gives Kentucky a 94.3% chance of winning, while KenPom gives the home team a 96% chance of winning.
• Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
• Rosters: UK | UAB
• Tickets
• Live Stats
• Predictions: KenPom is going with a 73-54 win for the Wildcats. TeamRankings has Kentucky winning 73-54, while numberFire went with a 73-61 margin.

The 5-1 Kentucky Wildcats will return to action on Black Friday to take on the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers at 7 p.m. After showing some progression in their last two outings, the Wildcats will look to take another step forward in their development.

However, the Wildcats will have to do so without graduate transfer Nate Sestina. Sestina broke his wrist in practice on Tuesday, and had surgery on Wednesday with a prognosis of being back on the court in 3-4 weeks. While his presence will certainly be missed, as the depth in the front court was already lacking, this is a golden opportunity for John Calipari to experiment with small-ball lineups.

In fact, Calipari spoke at length about Kahlil Whitney playing lots of power forward over the next few weeks. His combination of strength and speed will create a mismatch on the offensive end that should allow him to start to establish himself as a scorer.

UAB will bring a 4-1 record into Rupp Arena on Friday, with their only loss coming against common opponent Utah Valley. They do, however, hold victories over Mount St. Mary’s and Lamar.

The Blazers are led in scoring by Franklin, KY native Tavin Lovan. The sophomore guard has put up 13.2 points per game this season. He’s attempted just eight threes this year and hit one of them. As a team, UAB is hitting just 26.2% of their triples, and they have just one player — freshman Jalen Benjamin — who’s hit 5+ threes this season (31.6%).

Relatively speaking, the Blazers are a relatively young team. None of their top-six scorers are seniors, and they only have three on the roster. This underclassmen-led squad is off to a strong start this year and they hope to make some noise in Conference USA.

The Wildcats will continue to try and improve their outside shooting while also adjusting to the absence of their most experienced player. Calipari has once again been pleading for fans to fill up Rupp Arena. That’s a big ask on the day after Thanksgiving. But looking at the constant upsets around the country, the Wildcats had better come to play even if the gym is empty.

Kentucky’s game vs. UAB is the final of four consecutive games the Wildcats will play as a part of the BBN Showcase, a multi-team event. In addition to Friday’s matchup, UK already defeated Utah Valley (82-74), Mount St. Mary’s (82-62) and Lamar (81-56). All four games were played in Rupp Arena.

UAB wound up going 2-1 vs. that bunch, as they scored wins vs. Mount St. Mary’s (58-51) and Lamar (57-46) but fell to Utah Valley (66-55).