NCAA Men’s Basketball: Kentucky Wildcats vs Richmond Spiders – Possible Lineups and Predictions

In their second game of the season, the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Richmond Spiders at the Rupp Arena on November 29th. It is the first-ever encounter between these two teams, as they play their final Bluegrass Showcase game.

The Wildcats are coming off a statement blowout win against the Morehead Eagles, whom they beat 81-45. Despite missing sophomore forward Keion Brooks Jr, who is out with a calf injury, the Wildcats never looked out of their stride.

Their recruit Brandon Boston Jr was the star of the show. He scored 15 points and grabbed 7 rebounds to lead them to a win.

The Spiders also began their 2020-21 campaign with an impressive win against the same opponents. They crushed the Eagles 82-64, with forward Nathan Cayo going a perfect 10/10 from the field.

So with both teams coming off big wins against the same opponent, how they will fare against each other?

NCAA Men’s Basketball: Can the Kentucky Wildcats stay unbeaten?

John Calipari’s boys are the obvious favorites in the clash. They entered the season ranked 10th in the AP Poll, and could climb higher as the season progresses.

Despite losing 3 of their best players from the previous season, the Wildcats have brought in capable replacements in Boston Jr and Terrence Clarke, both 5-star recruits out of high school. Both of them impressed on their debuts and will be expected to have similar performances throughout the season.

This will be a battle between the young Wildcats team who have freshmen guards flanking their backcourt, while the Spiders have proven guards in Blake Francis and Jacob Gilyard.

Both of them were great last season, with Francis averaging 17.7 points per game and Gilyard putting up 12.7 points per game.

The Wildcats freshmen could potentially struggle against them, but overall they have a better team and will be expected to come out as the winners. It could be a close encounter, and the Spiders could potentially pull off an upset.

But the Wildcats should be able to come out on top. It won’t be an easy win, and they will have to work hard for it if they want to start their season 2-0.

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