Kentucky vs Clemson score: UK basketball stats, highlights from SEC/ACC Challenge

Posted by Admin December 4, 2024 Basketball

Coverage from the game:

Kentucky basketball, out-toughed by grittier Clemson team, drops first game of season

Coverage during the game:

CLEMSON, S.C. — Entering Tuesday, Clemson owned the best 3-point shooting team in the ACC, knocking down nearly 40% of its long-range attempts this season. Kentucky basketball players say that shooting touch belies Clemson’s true nature.

“They’re a physical team, kind of like Georgia State and Western Kentucky,” UK center Amari Williams said. “So (we need to be) matching them on that.”

Tonight’s matchup between the Wildcats and Tigers is part of this year’s SEC/ACC Challenge, which began last season. But there’s another noteworthy aspect of tonight’s tilt for coach Mark Pope‘s program: It’s UK’s first road game of the 2024-25 campaign.

“It’ll be a lot of noise against us, but it’s going to be like that throughout the whole season as we go into SEC play,” Williams said. “So it’s a good test to go into somebody else’s arena.

“It’ll be fun, though, for sure.”

It’ll be even more fun for the No. 6 Wildcats if they pick up another win: They’re 7-0 on the season.

Can Kentucky keep its unbeaten run going to begin the Pope era?

Follow along below with live updates from Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina:

Here’s a look at the final box score:

The Wildcats end the half making only one of their last nine shots. The Tigers, meanwhile, went on a 14-2 run in the final 5:29.

UK is shooting 31.3% (10 for 32) from the field, and is just 4 of 14 (28.6%) behind the 3-point line. The Panthers are 13 for 38 (34.2%).

Otega Oweh eight points to lead UK.

Ian Schieffelin has a game-high nine points to pace Clemson.

At the under-8 timeout, Kentucky trails Clemson, 21-19.

The Wildcats are struggling offensively, having made only 26.3% (5 for 19) of their shots from the field. The Tigers are only slightly better, sitting at 30.4% (7 of 23).

UK has missed seven straight shots, and is only one of its last nine. It hasn’t scored in the last 3:22.

There’s 7:17 left in the first half.

Brandon Garrison, Kentucky’s 6-foot-10, 250-pound sophomore forward, is cleared to play tonight versus Clemson. UK coach Mark Pope told the UK sports radio network during a pregame appearance that Garrison is “a full go” tonight. Garrison was sidelined in Kentucky’s last game, a 105-76 victory over Georgia State, for what Pope called “precautionary reasons.”

Garrison is averaging 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 18 minutes per game this season.

Here are Kentucky’s starters vs. Clemson:

It’s the same starting five UK has trotted out for its two preseason exhibitions (versus Kentucky Wesleyan and Minnesota State Mankato, respectively) and all seven regular-season games so far (Wright State, Bucknell, Duke, Lipscomb, Jackson State, Western Kentucky and Georgia State).

And here’s Clemson’s lineup:

The contest between the Wildcats and Tigers will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will have the call.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.

You also can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

Betting odds: Kentucky is a 1½-point road favorite (-110) on BetMGM, which set the over/under at 55½ points (-110).

Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle), 10 p.m., ESPN2
Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena), 8 p.m., ESPN2
Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena), 5:15 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York), 5:30 p.m., CBS
Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m., ESPNU
Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena), 11 a.m., ESPN
Jan. 7: at Georgia, 7 p.m., SEC Network
Jan. 11: at Mississippi State, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN
Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
Jan. 28: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network

Record: 7-0

Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
Walker Horn (guard, junior)
Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
Zach Tow (forward, junior)
Amari Williams (center, graduate)

Clemson went 24-12 overall last season, posting an 11-9 mark in ACC play. Its season ended in an 89-82 loss to Alabama in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers are 7-1 this season. They have wins over Charleston Southern, Saint Francis, Eastern Kentucky, Radford, San Francisco, Penn State and Florida A&M; their lone loss was an 84-71 setback to Boise State on the road.

Click here to see the Tigers’ full 2024-25 schedule.

Want to learn the Tigers’ roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.