Kentucky Wildcats vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction & Match Preview - December 12th, 2020 | NCAA Men's Basketball

Match Details

Fixture: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - NCAA Men's Basketball

Date & Time: Saturday, December 12th, 12 PM ET

Venue: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats will host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon. Both programs have started poorly to begin the season, with a combined 2-5 record. It will come down to which team can find a way to take care of the basketball to turn their slow starts around.

Kentucky Wildcats Preview

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off a disappointing loss to Georgia Tech last week, handing the John Calipari-led side their worst start in 20 years. The freshmen-heavy Wildcats turned the ball over 21 times and allowed a Georgia Tech team to score on 62 percent of their looks. However, it is still not time to panic for the 32-time SEC champions, as the rating shows that the Wildcats can literally not get a lucky bounce, via Michael Grant,

According the @kenpomeroy ratings, the unluckiest team in college basketball is Kentucky. So you probably shouldn't overreact to the 1-3 start. https://t.co/fzH0313V6G pic.twitter.com/SD3cvEnOmP

— Michael Grant (@MichaelGrant_CJ) December 9, 2020

Aside from the outrageous turnovers in the last outing, the Wildcats saw an improvement in their shooting percentage, knocking down 42 percent of their three-pointers and converting 90 percent of their free-throws. Look for John Calipari to have his side ready to go after a week of training against the Fighting Irish.

Key Player - Terrence Clarke

Kentucky Bluegrass Showcase

Terrence Clarke will be a key reason if the Kentucky Wildcats can turn their season around. The 5-star recruit started to look more comfortable against Georgia Tech as he led the team in scoring with 22 points and knocked down three of his four three-point attempts. The talented freshman will need to produce consistently for the Wildcats to get back on track.

Kentucky Wildcats Predicted Lineup

Olivier Sarr, Isaiah Jackson, Devin Askew, Brandon Boston Jr., Terrence Clarke

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 1-2 to start the year, but their losses have come from two ranked opponents, Michigan State and Ohio State. The Fighting Irish have had to replace their top two scorers from last year and are lacking in depth. Notre Dame has all five of their starters averaging over 27 minutes per game.

Make them hear you 😤#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/jlI1H35r8P

— Notre Dame MBB (@NDmbb) December 9, 2020

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish coming off a competitive loss against Ohio State will feel energized against Kentucky. The Irish will look to get hot from the perimeter, as their lack of depth forces them to play small.

Key Player - Cormac Ryan

The sharp shooter isn't playing around.Cormac Ryan has 13 points (4-for-6) with 2:56 to play in the first half! We're all tied up at 34.#GoIrish • #B1GACC pic.twitter.com/t0NzEst0Ou

— Notre Dame MBB (@NDmbb) December 9, 2020

Cormac Ryan is the sharpshooter for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. If he can catch fire from the perimeter, then the young Kentucky Wildcats will begin to over shift on defense and leave open cutting lanes for the experienced Notre Dame players. The junior out of New York will be the key to the Fighting Irish winning on Saturday afternoon.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Predicted Lineup

Juwan Durham, Nate Laszewski, Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin, Cormac Ryan

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Kentucky vs. Notre Dame Prediction

After an extended week of practice for the Kentucky Wildcats, look for John Calipari to have a more disciplined side on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats will take care of the business against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and avoid a four-game losing streak.

How to watch Kentucky vs. Notre Dame

The game will be broadcasted live on CBS. The game will be streamed on CBS Sports.