Ohio State vs. Kentucky 2019 basketball game preview and prediction

Ohio State heads out to the desert to take on another blue blood of the sport Saturday. Check out our preview and prediction.

Ohio State cliff notes game plan

While Ohio State has played with a little more temp than past seasons because of the upgrade in depth and talent available this year, that’s not a game it wants against Kentucky. The Wildcats also have a deep bench and will go use eight or nine guys. They also have the athletes to match up in all positions.

What might be a little different in this game is what role you see Kaleb Wesson play. Ohio State loves to run the offense through him on the block when things are going right, but he could face significant resistance getting business going down low against the 6-11 Nick Richards. Look for Wesson to stretch him out away from the basket on this one, unclog the middle and allow the guards and other forwards to penetrate, or matchup underneath. Don’t be surprised if you see Wesson and E.J. Liddell in at the same time often, with Liddell doing the work in the paint.

Defensively, I doubt you see much different than what we’ve seen in the past, except you’ll likely see more help when the ball enters the post than what we saw against Minnesota. The team has to rally in the lane and take its chances on the perimeter to limit the points down low and the potential foul issues of Wesson.

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