Kentucky vs. LSU time, TV channel, online stream, odds and predictions

Kentucky Basketball vs. LSU Tigers

• Time: 9 pm ET
• Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
• TV Channel: ESPN has tonight’s TV coverage.
• Announcers: Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes will call the action.
• Online Stream: Catch a live stream of the game online with WatchESPN, the ESPN app, or free trial of fuboTV.
• Replay: SEC Network (check local listings) and WatchESPN.
• Radio: UK Sports Network with Tom Leach and Mike Pratt calling the fun.
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 84 | XM 84 | SXM App 84
• Tickets
• Rosters: UK I LSU
• Stats to Know: UK I LSU
• Teamsheets: UK | LSU
• Odds: Kentucky is a 7.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Cats an 80.5% chance of coming away with the victory, while KenPom gives them an 80% of winning. Barttorvik projected Kentucky to be a 9.5-point favorite with an 82% chance of victory.
• Predictions: Barttorvik projects a 76-66 win for the Cats. KenPom has the home team winning 75-65. TeamRankings is going with a 75-67 victory, Kentucky!

The Kentucky Wildcats will be back in action on Wednesday night as they face the LSU Tigers inside Rupp Arena.

After an impressive shorthanded victory on Saturday against a top-25 Alabama squad, it appears that the Cats could be facing the same issue on Wednesday after John Calipari said TyTy Washington and Sahvir Wheeler both missed practice Monday.

This will be the second meeting between Kentucky and LSU this season, as UK lost in Baton Rouge 65-60 on January 4th. After losing Wheeler and Washington to injury, the Cats had a chance to win it in the final seconds before a turnover ultimately ended the game.

LSU will come into Rupp Arena with a record of 19-8 (7-7 SEC).

After a scorching hot start to the season, Will Wade’s squad has cooled off quite a bit ever since the start of conference play.

With back-to-back wins against UK and Tennessee in the early stages of conference play, they have lost to Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina, all of which are losses to three of the lower teams in the conference standings. They have also struggled on the road, as they are 2-6 on the season. The two wins were at Florida and at Texas A&M.

LSU is a complete Jekyll and Hyde team when it comes to offense and defense. This team struggles offensively, but they are elite defensively.

How much so?

Well, according to KenPom, they are the 106th-ranked offense and the third-ranked defense in the country while ranking 17th overall.

Offensively, the Tigers are averaging 73.1 points per game on 44% shooting from the field and 33% from three.

On the other end of the court, LSU is only allowing 61.9 points per game, while holding their opponents to 38% shooting and 28% from three.

Individually the offense will be paced by sophomore forward Tari Eason. Through 26 games played this season, Eason is averaging 16.9 points per game on 53% shooting from the field and 36% from three. He also adds 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.

Alongside Eason, Darius Days (13.3 PPG) and Brandon Murray (10.2 PPG) are the other double-digit per game scorers, while Murray leads the team in three-point percentage at 37% on the season.

The x-factor for this LSU squad all season has been Xavier Pinson. The Missouri transfer, was a key factor in the hot start for this team until an injury kept him out of the lineup for several games.

Even though he hasn't shot the ball at a great clip this season, it’s his shot-creation for teammates that could play a huge factor in this game (4.4 APG), especially if Kentucky is without two of their best perimeter defenders.

For Kentucky, this will be another tough test.

In the first meeting, the Cats were led by Davion Mintz with 16 points, while Jacob Toppin and Kellan Grady were close behind. Oscar Tshiebwe also finished the night with 8 points and 13 rebounds.

This game will be the complete opposite of what we saw Saturday against the Crimson Tide, in which we saw an explosive offensive game from both teams. LSU is not great offensively, and they thrive by mucking it up on the defensive end, the exact flip of what Alabama can do to you any given night.

If Kentucky comes out with a lackluster defensive effort of their own and reverts back to the head-scratching offense execution we have seen several times throughout the season, this game could be tricky.

If Washington and Wheeler are out once again, it will be all hands on deck for the Cats to pull out a win at Rupp Arena. Either way, fans should like this team's chances any given night.

Should be a fun one, folks.

Follow our Twitter page and then go ‘like’ our Facebook page for the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views.