Ranked teams meet as No. 15 Ohio State hosts No. 21 Kentucky

Published Dec. 16, 2021 5:31 p.m. ET

Associated Press

No. 21 Kentucky (7-2) vs. No. 15 Ohio State (8-2)

T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Two ranked teams meet as No. 21 Kentucky visits No. 15 Ohio State in a non-conference showdown. Kentucky has zero wins and one loss against ranked opponents this season, while Ohio State has won three of its four games against ranked teams.

SAVVY SENIORS: Ohio State's Kyle Young, Jamari Wheeler and Justin Ahrens have collectively accounted for 32 percent of the team's scoring this season, including 36 percent of all Buckeyes points over the last five games.EXCELLENT E.J.: E.J. Liddell has connected on 35.3 percent of the 34 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 4 of 13 over his last five games. He's also made 72 percent of his free throws this season.

THREAT FROM DISTANCE: Kentucky's Kellan Grady has attempted 45 3-pointers and connected on 40 percent of them, and is 6 for 19 over the last three games.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Buckeyes have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Wildcats. Ohio State has an assist on 45 of 83 field goals (54.2 percent) across its previous three matchups while Kentucky has assists on 43 of 84 field goals (51.2 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Kentucky is ranked first among Division I teams with an offensive rebound percentage of 45 percent. The Wildcats have averaged 15.4 offensive boards per game.

___

For more AP college basketball coverage:

___

This was generated by Automated Insights,