LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky basketball team will now play North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Cats' previous matchup against Ohio State has been canceled due to COVID within the Buckeyes program. The game will still be played in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Tickets which were already purchased for the original matchups are still valid for Saturday’s rescheduled game.
North Carolina is receiving votes in both major polls. The Tar Heels are led by sophomore guard Caleb Love (averaging 16.2 points per game) and junior Forward Armando Bacot (14.3 ppg). Kentucky played North Carolina last season in the CBS Sports Classic, when the Tar Heels won 75-63 with Love and Bacot scoring 25 of the Tar Heels' 75 points.
For the first time since 2003, Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams will not be on the sidelines. First year head coach Hubert Davis, formerly a long-time assistant at North Carolina, has the Tar Heels sitting at 8-2 on the season, with wins over Michigan and Georgia Tech. North Carolina's two losses came back-to-back against a very good Purdue team and Tennessee. North Carolina leads the all time series with Kentucky 25-16.
The Tar Heels were originally scheduled to play UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic, but the Bruins had to pull out of that game due to COVID-19 issues within their program.
