Yale at Kentucky
Sat., Dec. 10 – 1 p.m.
Lexington, Ky.
TV: SEC Network
ESPN Video | Live Stats | Yale Game Notes
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A busy week for the Yale men's basketball team continues with a trip back to the Midwest and another visit to an iconic arena. Yale faces No. 16 Kentucky on Saturday. Tipoff at Rupp Arena is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be televised on the SEC Network and available on ESPN+.
 
The Bulldogs (8-2) played in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday, dropping a hard-fought 71-61 decision to Butler in a battle of Bulldogs. Yale played well, but Butler used a strong start and some clutch shooting down the stretch to escape with the victory.
 
After falling behind 22-7 early, the Bulldogs made several pushes, and when Bez Mbeng drove to the basket and scored with 3:24 left, Yale was within eight and seemed to have the momentum on its side. Simon Lukosius, though, hit back-to-back long three-pointers late in the shot clock to seal the victory for Butler.
 
Mbeng and EJ Jarvis and each had 14 points to pace Yale, which lost for the second time this season. The only other blemish for the Bulldogs was a close, 65-62 loss at Colorado over Thanksgiving weekend.
 
The Bulldogs have been dominant in a majority of their eight victories and are sixth in the nation in scoring margin (22.5). Yale also is among the national leaders in rebound margin (8th, +10.7) and scoring defense (8th, 55.8).
 
The Bulldogs also lead the Ivy League in assist/turnover ratio (1.57), blocks per game (4.7), field goal percentage defense (.369) and three-point percentage defense (.288).
 
Yale's 8-1 start to the season was the best since the 1945-46 team posted a 14-1 record on its way to a New England Championship.
 
The early success, though, shouldn't come as a surprise. Yale is in the midst of the most successful era in its long history. Over the last seven seasons, the Bulldogs have posted a 74-24 (.755) Ivy League record, won four Ivy championships, two Ivy League Tournament titles and earned four NCAA Tournament berths, including notching the first NCAA victory in school history – over Baylor in 2016.
 
Yale won 19 games a year ago, captured the Ivy League Tournament title with a thrilling victory over Princeton in the championship game and earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the third straight season.
 
Despite losing two All-Ivy selections from last year's team – Jalen Gabbidon '22 and Azar Swain '22 - the Bulldogs have continued to thrive.
 
Yale is playing the third of six straight road games. The Bulldogs are at Fairfield on Monday before a break for exams. Yale, which won its first four games in the friendly confines of the John J. Lee Amphitheater, does not have a home game in the month of December.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
The Bulldogs are playing Kentucky for just the second time in school history. The first meeting came in 1961, a 79-58 Wildcat victory in Lexington. Yale went on to finish 13-1 in Ivy play that season and captured the league championship. The Bulldogs played a memorable NCAA Tournament game that year, falling to Wake Forest 92-82 in overtime at The Palestra in Philadelphia. Wake Forest went on to reach the Final Four.
 
SCOUTING KENTUCKY
 
The Wildcats (6-2) will have had nearly a week off after edging Michigan 73-69 in London last Sunday. UK's only losses have come to Michigan State (86-77 in 2OT) and at Gonzaga (88-72). Yale and Kentucky have one common opponent – Howard. The Bulldogs beat the Bison 86-40 in New Haven on Nov. 30, and UK was a 95-63 winner over Howard on Nov. 7 at Rupp Arena. Four Wildcats average double figures in scoring, led by Antonio Reeves at 14.4 ppg. Cason Wallace ranks 12th nationally with 2.62 steals per game. Kentucky is a perfect 85-0 under head coach John Calipari when holding the opponent to 55 points or fewer, including 2-0 this season after limiting Duquesne to 52 points and Bellarmine to 41. The Wildcats are 207-9 (95.8%) under Calipari when limiting the opponent to 63 points or less, including 5-0 this season.