Kentucky Wildcats vs Pennsylvania Quakers Match Preview – Players to Watch, Head to Head, and Prediction

The Pennsylvania Quakers are currently going 6-4 and occupy the fifth spot in the Ivy League. They will lock horns with the Kentucky Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Arena. Whereas the Kentucky enter the game with a 6-2 tally and a 16th spot in the AP Press Polls.

The match will be a thrilling one to watch in this NCAA season.

Players to Watch

The Kentucky Wildcats guard Antonio Reeves leads the team in terms of scoring with an average of 18.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per match. He has scored in double figures in all the eight games he has played for the Wildcats.

The 6-feet-6-inch guard is difficult to tackle and will definitely boost up the game with his offensive gameplay. He has a spectacular 82.6% free throw percentage and a 51% field goal percentage. Going by his on-song performances, Reeves will be difficult to tackle for the Pennsylvania Quakers

Another top performer for the Kentucky Wildcats has been their guard Adou Thiero. Theiro has displayed his exceptional defensive skills, grabbing about 7 rebounds per game.

He has used his 6-fet-8-inch stature to his complete advantage. The sophomore player has a free throw percentage of 71.4% and a field goal percentage of 52.6%. The Quakers will have to contain Theiro if they want to win the match.

For the Pennsylvania Quakers, their guard Clark Slajchert has been their go-to scorer, besotting 19.3 points per match with a 76.9% free throw percentage. His responsibilities have risen from the previous season when he was only averaging 13.6 points per game.

If he can amp up his game against the Wildcats then it can turn into a nail-biter. Additionally, Slajchert has a decent 44.3% three-pointer percentage.

The other player to watch for in this game is the Quakers forward Nick Spinoso. Spinoso is leading his team in three departments – rebounds, assists and blocks. Thus he plays the second fiddle to Slajchert and also steps up for his team as a defender.

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The only disadvantage with Spinoso is that he not much of a three-point shooter. Nonetheless, the Wildcats need to be wary of him as he can create magic at times that upend the other team.

Head to Head

As per Kentucky official site, The Kentucky has a clean edge over the Pennsylvania with a 5-0 record. Their current head coach Jon Calipari has played the Quakers only once in 2011 and defeated them by a comprehensive 86-62 margin.

This is the first time that Steve Donahue will square off against the Kentucky as the head coach of the Pennsylvania. Overall, the stats clearly seem to twist the match in the Kentucky’s favor.

Prediction

The Kentucky are favorite to win and if the Pennsylvania want to stop them, then they will have to counter their offense from the word go. The Kentucky on the other hand won’t look to try anything unusual and will stick to their plans, tackling the Quaker’s defense.

They will try to contain Spinoso and if that happens then the Kentucky are clinching an easy victory from here.

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Overall, it will be a fun match to watch for basketball fans and who knows the Quaker might create some magic on the hardwood.