The opening tipoff between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Hampton Pirates during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the KFC YUM! Center on March 19, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Getty)
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Kentucky improved to 35-0 Thursday night with a 79-56 thrashing of Hampton. Next up for the Wildcats: Cincinnati, which advanced to the Round of 64 by winning a 66-65 thriller over Purdue.
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
The Basics
Who:
No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Cincinnati
What:
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
When:
Saturday, March 21
Where:
KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky
Bracket Region:
Midwest
Time:
2:40 p.m. Eastern
Channel:
CBS
Line:
Sports books monitored by OddsShark have Kentucky as a 16.5-point favorite.
Scouting Kentucky
Record: 34-0 overall, 18-0 SEC
Coach: John Calipari, 6th season
Offensive Points Per Game: 74.6
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 53.4
Scoring Leaders: Aaron Harrison, 11.2 ppg, Devin Booker, 10.9 ppg
Rebounding Leader: Karl-Anthony Towns, 6.6 rpg
Assists Leader: Andrew Harrison, 3.8 apg
Scouting Cincinnati
Record: 23-10 overall, 13-5 American
Coach: Mick Cronin, 9th season
Offensive Points Per Game: 62.4
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 55.3
Scoring Leader: Octavious Ellis, 10.0
Rebounding Leader: Octavious Ellis, 7.3
Assists Leader: Troy Caupain, 3.5