The beauty of sports is the unpredictable nature of it. 

 

It's the ultimate reality show. Such is the case with West Virginia’s game against Kentucky today. 

 

When the game was announced as the marquee matchup in the Big 12-SEC Challenge, many thought it had a chance to be the premier out of conference matchup of the college basketball season. Both teams would open the season in the top 10. West Virginia would rise to number two nationally before hitting a skid and losing three of its last four games. 

 

Kentucky hasn’t lived up to its early season hype. John Calipari’s approach of bringing in an entirely new group of players each season isn’t working as it has he last few years. Kentucky fell out of the college basketball rankings this week for the time in 67 weeks. The Wildcats have dropped two of the last three games. 

 

This game isn’t what we thought it would be, but it’s still huge. 

 

There aren’t many programs that move the needle like Kentucky. They enter today’s game having won more college basketball teams than any other in history. Add in the geographic proximity of the two states, the history in the NCAA tournament and the larger-than-life head coaches and you have what may be the most intriguing non-conference opponent to ever visit the Coliseum. 

 

There are some similarities between the teams on the court as well. Both have struggled shooting the ball as of late. 

 

West Virginia is coming off one of its worse shooting percentage nights of the season when they shot 33 percent from the field against TCU. In Kentucky's two losses in the last 10 days, the Wildcats shot just 18 percent from three. 

 

To counter that woeful shooting from the outside, expect Kentucky to look to drive to the basket. The Wildcats are loaded with big, athletic guys who can put the ball on the floor. If they meet resistance in the lane, they’ll look to kick it out to shooters stationed around the arc. Can they convert on those looks? 

 

Sound familiar? It’s the exact formula you’ve seen from WVU opponents over the last two weeks. Drive and kick. Texas Tech did it late and found some open threes. Ditto for Kansas and TCU.

 

The question for West Virginia defensively is two-fold: 1) can the press force Kentucky into turnovers before they even have a chance to attack the basket? 2) has West Virginia learned how to stop penetration while not leaving shooters wide open? 

 

This year’s version of Press Virginia isn’t as potent as what we’ve seen the last couple of years. Bob Huggins warned of that before the season even started. But, isn’t today’s game the kind of matchup where you expect the press to work?

 

Kentucky has seven freshman/redshirt freshman that play 12 minutes or more. Their 'experience' comes from two sophomores, Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones. They have never faced anything like this West Virginia press. Nor have those freshman faced a hostile crowd like they will see at the Coliseum tomorrow night.

 

When the press is working for WVU, it's like watching sharks with blood in the water. Turn it over a few times early, show fear and WVU pounces. Let it get to the point that the crowd is going bananas AND you're turning it over ... game over. 

 

West Virginia's press may well be one of the most important keys to victory. The biggest key ...can WVU make shots and score? 

 

Some easy baskets off of turnovers would be a good starting point. Easy buckets will be critical tonight while facing a Kentucky team that is third nationally in three point percentage defense.

 

The Wildcats will play more zone than John Calipari normally likes to play. Their length enables them to extend the zone and make shooting from the outside a real chore. Given West Virginia's struggles shooting the ball as of late, it would seem points off of turnovers may be even more important in this game than normal. 

 

Looking for another key to victory? How about rebounding? It's one of the first stats we look at when West Virginia plays. 

 

The Mountaineers must win the battle on the glass. Kentucky is 247th nationally in defensive rebounding. Put back opportunities will be there for West Virginia. Again, for a team that has struggled shooting the ball lately, offensive rebounds leading to easy baskets would provide a huge boost.

 

This one should be fun. ESPN is anchoring its Gameday program from the Coliseum. The game will be played in prime time, benefitting from a full day of promotion. It's a big, national stage against the bluest of blue bloods. For this one night, Morgantown will be the center of the college basketball universe. 

 

Let's see how they respond. 

 

Big Game in the Mountain East Conference 

 

West Virginia-Kentucky isn’t the only big game taking place in north central West Virginia this weekend. Coming up on Sunday at 5 p.m, Fairmont State will host the nation’s top-ranked team in West Liberty. 

 

If you like action and offense in your basketball games, this one is for you. 

 

These are the top two of the top three scoring teams in the conference. When they met earlier this season, both topped 100 points. West Liberty got the win 106-100. 

 

Both programs are under the guidance of first year head coaches. Ben Howlett has taken over the Hilltopper program and hasn't missed a beat. West Liberty is undefeated on the season at 18-0.

 

Joe Mazzula inherited a national runner-up team from last year at Fairmont State and has the Falcons rolling as of late. FSU enters the game tomorrow having won seven of its last eight games. 

 

If you can’t make it out to Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont tomorrow, you can check it out on AT&T Sports Network (formerly ROOT Sports) or on the website wvmetronews.com at 5 p.m.. I’ll be on the call along with Warren Baker and the voice of the Bridgeport Indians, Travis Jones. 

 

Enjoy a fun weekend of basketball. 

 

Editor's Note: Top three WVU basketball photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com. Bottom two photos show Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles, respectively, in their freshmen years when Kentucky crushed WVU in the NCAA tournament in 2015 by a 78-39 score. Bottom two pictures courtesy of WVU Sports Communications.