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No. 1 Kentucky faces UCLA Saturday in Chicago
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Published: 12/20/2014  at  4:57:00 AM
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UCLA BRUINS (8-3)

vs. KENTUCKY WILDCATS (11-0)

CBS Sports Classic
United Center - Chicago, IL
Tip-off: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Line: Kentucky -14, Total: 140

No. 1 Kentucky takes on UCLA in Saturday's CBS Sports Classic in a matchup of two of the most dominant programs in college basketball history.

Kentucky (6-5 ATS) lost PF Alex Poythress for the year due to a torn ACL, but this is still the deepest team in college basketball. The Wildcats have gone up against an incredible schedule early in the season, as they have victories against Kansas, Texas and North Carolina. The Bruins (4-7 ATS) enter this game with three losses on the season, but they have been against the toughest teams thus far on the schedule (Oklahoma, Butler and Gonzaga). UCLA has a stretch of three consecutive road games coming up, and this is the last opportunity for the Bruins to pick up a big non-conference victory for their NCAA Tournament resume. UCLA has not defeated a non-conference team ranked in the Top 25 since beating Missouri in 2012. Both teams have positive coaching trends for this game, as Bruins head coach Steve Alford is 30-15 ATS in non-home games versus excellent ball-handling teams (12 or fewer TO per game) since 1997, while John Calipari is 15-6 ATS in neutral-court games where the total is 140 to 149.5 as the Kentucky head coach. Besides Poythress, there are no other significant injuries for either team.

Will Kentucky roll to another easy victory on Saturday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks. The experts have begun the 2014-15 season with a bang, posting a collective 53.2% ATS mark (75-66) in Best Bets. The five experts are led by StatFox Gary's stellar 64% ATS mark (18-10), while StatFox Brian is 55% ATS (16-13) and StatFox Zach is 54% ATS (15-13) to open the season.

The Bruins' offense ranks high in a lot of important categories, placing 10th in the nation in rebounding (41.9 RPG), 19th in scoring (80.8 PPG), 32nd in assists (16.1 APG) and 97th in shooting (45.9% FG). The team is led by PG Bryce Alford (18 PPG, 6.7 APG and 38% threes), who is the son of head coach Steve Alford. The 6-foot-3 Alford is a lanky point guard who has the ability to get inside the paint and find open playmakers. Kentucky is loaded with young talent, but UCLA also has some young players with huge potential. One of those guys is PF Kevin Looney (13.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG), who has the chance to be a star by the time he is done at the school. He has great size and length, and has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant. Guys like SG Norman Powell (17.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.9 APG), SG Isaac Hamilton (11.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG) and PF Tony Parker (10.8 PPG, 60% FG, 8.2 RPG) are all talented players who have to step up in this game.

Kentucky has been dominant in nearly every statistical category. The Wildcats enter this game ranked 22nd in the nation in assists (16.6 APG), 24th in rebounding (41.1 RPG), 47th in scoring (76.2 PPG) and 59th in shooting (47.3% FG). But the defense has been out of this world, as it holds teams to a nation-low 48.0 PPG with an NCAA-best 8.3 blocks per game. The "platoon system" as they are calling it in Lexington is working to perfection, as the Wildcats are simply wearing their opponents out in the second half with wholesale substitutions. There are only two Kentucky players averaging double figures (C Willie Cauley-Stein 10.7 PPG and SG Aaron Harrison 10.2 PPG), but there are seven Kentucky players averaging at least 7.6 PPG. Cauley-Stein leads the team in minutes, but he averages just 24.5 MPG. Freshman PF Karl-Anthony Towns (8.5 PPG, 54% FG, 6.3 RPG) may be the best player on the team, as he creates serious mismatches. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket, while standing at 6-foot-11, 250 pounds. If there is a weakness right now on this team, it is the inability to shoot from deep (29.3% from threes). SG Devin Booker (9.1 PPG, 41% threes) is the best shooter on the team, and the Wildcats will look to get him some open shots.


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