After an extended break for the holidays, No. 10 Kentucky returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Brown at Rupp Arena.

Kentucky lost to Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic the last time out. However, the Cats are 10-2 on the season and have already beaten Duke, Gonzaga and Louisville, among others.

The Cats have used a balanced scoring attack this season, with five players averaging in double figures, and a sixth just outside that number.

Junior guard Otega Oweh leads Kentucky, averaging 16.2 points per game. Lamont Butler averages 14.0 points per contest, while Jaxson Robinson comes in a 12.3 points per outing. Sharpshooting Koby Brea comes off the bench to average 11.8 points per game, while Andrew Carr is posting 11.1 points per contest. Amari Williams averages 9.8 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds per game.

Brown is 7-4 this season. The Bears had a six-game winning streak snapped in a loss at Kansas on Dec. 22. Senior guard Kino Lilly Jr. is having a big season for Brown, averaging 20.0 points per game. Junior forward Landon Lewis averages 13.9 points per game, while senior guard/forward averages 12.5 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per contest.

Tuesday’s game is Kentucky’s final nonconference tune-up before Southeastern Conference play begins on Saturday. The Cats will host No. 6 Florida on Saturday in an early conference showdown of top 10 teams.

However, the Cats first need to handle their business against Brown on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPNU.

Kentucky Falls to Ohio State

Otega Oweh scored 21 points, but No. 4 Kentucky lost to Ohio State, 85-65, in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The game was back-and-forth early, but UK’s last lead came with nine minutes to go in the fist half, with the Cats up 21-20. From there, OSU would score the next eight points and close the half on a 19-9 run to lead, 39-30 at the intermission.

The Wildcats were within six, trailing 51-45 with 14:54 to play, but would get no closer. Leading 70-61 with 4:23 to play, the Buckeyes put the game away with a 9-0 run.

Some additional notes from the game:

• It marked the third time this season in which Otega Oweh has scored exactly 21 points (Wright State, Jackson State, Ohio State). Oweh is the only UK player to score in double figures in every game this season.
• Oweh was a career-best 13-13 from the line. It tied for the fifth-best free throw performance in program history as four Wildcats have had games making 14 of 14 from the line
• Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea each made a pair of 3-pointers. Both Robinson and Brea have 10 games this season with multiple made 3s.

Balanced Attack

The Wildcats are off to a 10-2 start in large part thanks to their veteran experience. But it has been the balance of attack, both offensively and defensively that has aided UK’s start.

• Kentucky has had five different leading scorers through 12 games (Oweh – 4, Brea – 3, Carr – 3, Robinson – 2, Butler – 1)
• Five players are averaging double-figure points through 12 games, with a sixth averaging 9.8. No UK team has ever finished the season with six players averaging double-figure points
• UK has eight players who have generated 20 or more assists (1.67 per game) or more thus far, led by Lamont Butler’s 4.2 per game. The Cats are fifth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.92 per game
• Six players have drained 10 or more 3s, with Koby Brea pacing the team with 36 made 3-pointers thus far
• Kentucky is outrebounding its foes by 7.2 per game. Eight players are averaging 2.0 boards per game or more. Kentucky ranks seventh in the country with 43.42 rebounds per game. Amari Williams is 30th in the nation at 9.0 per game
• Kentucky has held seven of 12 opponents below 40% from the field and seven opponents 25% or less from distance
• UK’s 3-point percentage defense (27.5%) ranks 12th in the country