How the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats (7-1) and the No. 7 Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1) match up at each position for Saturday’s men’s college basketball “Battle in Seattle” — with a game prediction: Small forward ▪
Kentucky’s Jaxson Robinson (12 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 43.4% FGs, 30.8% treys, 72.7% FTs) has been a part of UK’s slumping 3-point shooting over the past three games. As the Kentucky team has gone a combined 22-for-82 on 3-pointers (26.8%) in wins over Western Kentucky and Georgia State and Tuesday’s 70-66 loss at Clemson in the SEC/ACC Challenge, Robinson has shot 5-of-20 from behind the arc in those contests. The 6-foot-6, 192-pound super-senior from Ada, Oklahoma, did have 12 points, four rebounds and a blocked shot at Clemson.
While playing last season for Arkansas, Gonzaga’s Khalif Battle hung 34 points on Kentucky at Rupp Arena in the Razorbacks’ 111-102 loss. In that game, the 6-5, 185-pound Battle hit 8 of 16 shots, 1 of 4 treys and 17 of 18 free throws while also grabbing eight rebounds. The performance was the final of a torrid three-game stretch in which Battle scored 42 (Missouri), 36 (Vanderbilt) and 34 points in successive contests. Part of a three-guard lineup for Mark Few’s Zags, Battle, a super-senior, is averaging 13.5 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Power forward ▪ Kentucky’s Andrew Carr (10 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 20 assists vs. eight turnovers, 56% FGs) had a rough go in the loss at Clemson. The 6-11, 235-pound super-senior hit only 1 of 7 shots, 1 of 3 3-pointers and 2 of 4 free throws en route to five points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. The Wake Forest transfer has scored in double figures in five of UK’s eight games.
▪ Gonzaga’s Michael Ajayi (7.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 43.6% FGs, 22.2% treys) joined the Zags via transfer after averaging 17.2 points and 9.2 rebounds last season for Pepperdine. A 6-7, 228-pound senior from Kent, Washington, Ajayi made 47.8 percent of his 3-pointers last season, so he would seem to be a better outside shooter than his Gonzaga numbers suggest. Ajayi’s only double figure scoring game of this season to date came when he tallied 15 points and claimed nine rebounds in an 89-73 win over Indiana in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in The Bahamas. Advantage: Kentucky.
Center ▪ Kentucky super-senior Amari Williams (9.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 20 assists vs. 23 turnovers, team-high 15 blocks) had nine points, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal in the loss at Clemson. The 7-foot, 262-pound super-senior from Nottingham, England, also had a team-high four turnovers and has a combined 11 turnovers in UK’s past three games. ▪ Against a completely different UK roster, Gonzaga’s Graham Ike had a monster game vs. the Wildcats at Rupp Arena last season.
The 6-9, 250-pound senior big man hit 10 of 17 shots and scored 25 points with five rebounds as the Zags beat the Cats 89-85. This year, Ike — who began his college career playing for Wyoming — has scored in double figures in six of eight games and leads the Bulldogs in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg). Advantage: Gonzaga.