It’s time for a Black Friday showdown between the Kentucky Wildcats and Georgia State Panthers, another matchup inside Rupp Arena before the team hits the road for back-to-back games away from home next week.

Can the Cats move to 7-0 on the year, the team’s best start since 2016-17? KSR’s got everything you need to know about the post-Thanksgiving battle coming this evening in Lexington.

How to Watch, Listen

No. 8 Kentucky (6-0) vs. Georgia State (4-3)
7 p.m. ET | Friday, Nov. 29 | Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY)

• Streaming: SEC Network (John Schriffen, Richard Hendrix)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 138 or 190
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tipoff, or join the conversation on KSBoard.

The KSR Pregame Show will start at 4:30 p.m. ET at KSBar and Grille. From there, Steven Peake and I will be taking our pregame walk to Rupp Arena where we’ll be sharing our thoughts and chatting with fans LIVE on the KSR YouTube Channel. Subscribe to the channel and turn your notifications on to get an alert when we start our journey.

Early season rewind

Kentucky: KenPom 13

• 11/4: 103-62 W vs. Wright State
• 11/9: 100-72 W vs. Bucknell
• 11/12: 77-72 W vs. No. 6 Duke
• 11/19: 97-68 W vs. Lipscomb
• 11/22: 108-59 W vs. Jackson State
• 11/26: 87-68 W vs. Western Kentucky

Georgia State: KenPom 219

• 11/4: 71-66 W vs. Ball State
• 11/8: 101-66 L at Mississippi State
• 11/13: 72-67 L at Jacksonville State
• 11/18: 106-66 W vs. Toccoa Falls
• 11/22: 93-79 W vs. North Carolina Central
• 11/26: 62-50 L vs. Austin Peay
• 11/27: 74-71 W vs. Tulsa

Series History

This will be the third all-time matchup between the Kentucky and Georgia State with the Wildcats winning both games in 2004 and 2005.

UK took home a 77-59 victory in the first matchup, led by Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes with 16 points apiece. Then the following year, Kentucky won 73-46 with Shagari Alleyne leading the way with 16.

Mark Pope has taken on Georgia State one time in his coaching career, an 86-54 win at BYU last season.

Kentucky vs. Georgia State Odds via Circa Sports

Spread: Kentucky -30
Total: 162

The Wildcats covered the spread in their first five games of the season before falling just short of that mark in their 19-point victory over WKU on Tuesday. KenPom is projecting a 90-66 victory in favor of the home team, giving UK a 98 percent chance to pull off the win outright.

Kentucky Projected Starters

(Starting lineup based on the last game)

#1 – Lamont Butler
6-2 – 208 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
11.7 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.2 RPG

#00 – Otega Oweh
6-4 – 215 – GUARD – JUNIOR
16.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 SPG

#2 – Jaxson Robinson
6-6 – 192 – GUARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
10.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.5 APG

#7 – Andrew Carr
6-11 – 235 – FORWARD – GRADUATE STUDENT
10.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.5 APG

#22 – Amari Williams
7-0 – 262 – CENTER – GRADUATE STUDENT
9.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 2.0 BPG

Georgia State Projected Starters

#22 – Malachi Brown
6-1 – 175 – GUARD – SOPHOMORE
8.3 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.3 APG

#11 – Toneari Lane
6-5 – 205 – GUARD – SENIOR
15.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.0 APG

#7 – Zarique Nutter
6-7 – 210 – FORWARD – SENIOR
17.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.8 APG

#33 – Nick McMullen
6-8 – 235 – FORWARD – SENIOR
10.0 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.4 APG

#4 – Cesare Edwards
6-10 – 235 – CENTER – SENIOR
11.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.1 APG

Statistical Comparison

(via Kentucky’s game notes)

Fun stats from UK’s game notes:

• Kentucky is looking to start 7-0 for the first time since the 2016-17 season
• The Wildcats are averaging 95.3 points per game, good for third nationally with three 100-point performances. Their 20.8 assists per game are No. 1 in the SEC and No. 4 nationally
• UK has held all six opponents under 40 percent shooting while allowing them to shoot just 36.5 percent overall and 21.3 percent from deep — No. 2 nationally
• The Cats are also No. 1 nationally in defensive rebounds per game with an average of 35.17. The team has outrebounded its opponents in five of six games and trailed Duke by only one board.

Pregame Storylines

POTENTIAL TRAP GAME?

It’s Thanksgiving week, the day after the Wildcats filled their stomachs with turkey and pie with the Popes. Kentucky hits the road to take on Clemson in its first true road game of the season, followed by the cross-country trip to Seattle to take on Gonzaga. If there was ever a time for a trap game to present itself with this group, it’s now. Remember, though: Mark Pope doesn’t believe in trap games — assuming you bring the same focus and intensity to every matchup. “We don’t stress. Like, we don’t get nervous, we don’t worry because it doesn’t actually work,” he said. If every game is the biggest game of their lives, this one should be no different. Time to put that approach to the test.

ALL EYES ON ZARIQUE NUTTER

If there is one player to watch for Georgia State, it’s the star senior out of Newark, NJ. Nutter averages a team-high 17.2 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, a talented driver and finisher at the rim — albeit a non-shooter at 14.3 percent from deep on the year. He’s long and athletic, finishing with double-digit point totals in all six outings up to this point and coming off a season-high 22 points on 9-15 shooting in a win vs. Tulsa. The Northern Illinois transfer can go and should be at the top of the scouting report for the Cats.

SOLID SIZE FOR A MID-MAJOR

Nutter is the star, but the Panthers are pretty solid up top from there. Toneari Lane is a big 6-5, 205-pound guard averaging 15.3 points on 37.9 percent shooting from three. They also have two big-time frontcourt threats in 6-10, 235-pound center Cesare Edwards (11.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG) and 6-8, 235-pound forward Nick McMullen (10.0 PPG, 10.6 RPG) to round out double-figure scorers. It’s not a deep team by any means, but for a Sun Belt squad, they’ve got some dudes to compete with Kentucky’s size and positional versatility.

THE RYAN HARROW BOWL

He had a highlight tape worthy of an all-time superstar when he transferred from NC State to Kentucky as a former five-star recruit. Then he went on to average 9.9 points and 2.8 assists per game while shooting just 41.4 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three as the starting point guard of John Calipari’s lone NIT team in Lexington. With his father experiencing health issues, he transferred home to Georgia State to close out his final two seasons of eligibility where he averaged 18.0 points, 3.9 steals, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game — a successful finish after a rocky start to his time in college.

Join The Discussion on KSBoard

Want to interact with the KSR crew during tonight’s game? Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard, where we’ll be sharing live updates as your eyes and ears inside Rupp Arena while also answering questions and providing real-time analysis (and probably complaining about the officiating).

New members can get KSR+ for seven days for just $1 and 50% off the annual price.

Rapid Reaction on the KSR YouTube Channel

Miss the game? KSR’s got you covered with a Rapid Reaction live on the KSR YouTube Channel. We’ll also have wall-to-wall postgame coverage on the website, including highlights, comments from Mark Pope and the players, stats, and takeaways.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.