Where to watch Kentucky vs. How to watch St. John’s on CBS Sports Classic: picks, odds, stream

A huge missed opportunity.

That’s what looms for the loser of Saturday’s showdown between No. 22 St. John’s and Kentucky at the CBS Sports Classic. For St. John’s, it’s one last chance in non-conference play to earn its first Quad 1 win of the season. For Kentucky, it’s a chance to prove it can get off the mat after being battered, bruised and pushed aside by Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina and Gonzaga.

Oh, and there’s history here. Pitino led Kentucky to the national championship in 1996. The captain of that club? Current British coach Mark Pope.

Fast forward 29 years, and Pitino’s prized offseason acquisition is former Kentucky forward Bryce Hopkins.

Does fame breed contempt? Pope would push back on that myth, but there is so much at stake for two teams that have a lot of talent but haven’t quite found themselves yet.

Let’s dive into this match.

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Where to watch Kentucky vs. Want to watch St. John’s live?

Date: Saturday December 20 | Time: 12:30 PM ET
Location: State Farm Arena – Atlanta
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Stream on Paramount+ Premium

Kentucky vs. St. John’s: Need to know

Can St. John’s guard the ball? There were no weak links in St. John’s defense last season. That is not the case this season. The game plan for good guards is to find the mismatch and get them into action as much as possible. Those targets were specifically Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon or Dylan Darling, and it has led to big nights for Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford (27 points) and Alabama’s Labaron Philon (25 points).

Overall, St. John’s is allowing more than 32 points per game in pick-and-rolls against deep competition, according to Synergy. Not good enough. The bully-ball game plan that Kentucky used against Indiana won’t work in this game against this ultra-athletic St. John’s frontcourt, but Jaland Lowe will have advantageous matchups at his disposal in pick-and-rolls. If Lowe plays well, Kentucky has a real chance.

Spotlight on the Bryce Hopkins vs. Mo Dioubate fight: Pitino was a burr in Hopkins’ saddle after a zero-rebound, three-turnover earlier in the week against DePaul. I expect a rejuvenated effort from Hopkins against his former team, but Kentucky will most likely turn Dioubate on him. This match could tip the balance.

Can Hopkins contain Dioubate and keep him from destroying the offensive boards? Can Hopkins make good decisions under pressure and not let Dioubate change the game with takeaways for touchdowns? Can Dioubate defend without making mistakes? Hopkins makes a sky-high 6.4 fouls per 40 minutes. When Dioubate is in foul trouble, the tenor of Kentucky’s defense changes dramatically.

Will Jayden Quaintance make his debut, and what will that look like? No Kentucky player has a higher one N.B.A ceiling than Quaintance. Returning to game action 10 months after a torn ACL is remarkable, all things considered, but that’s firmly on the table for the transfer to Arizona State. The 6-9 big man is one of the best defenders in the country, period.

Quaintance has been practicing a lot this week, but his status for Saturday is still in the air. Even if he only plays 10 minutes, that’s a huge boon for a Kentucky front line that will be tested by Hopkins, Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell and Ruben Prey.

Kentucky vs. St. John’s forecast, choices

This is an objectively brutal handicapping game. The best version of St. John’s emerges in transition when Ian Jackson can show off his jet-like speed, Mitchell can show off his run-and-jump skills and Zuby Ejiofor can turn and burn. For the most part, Kentucky’s defense has done a good job limiting transition opportunities, but I don’t think that applies in this matchup. Pitino has moved away from playing Mitchell, Ejiofor, and Hopkins together lately, but I think this is the place to let it go again.

According to CBB Analytics, St. John’s has an overall free throw attempt percentage of 49.6% and a gazillion shots at the rim when these three guys are on the floor together. There is a way for St. John’s to overwhelm Kentucky’s consistently inconsistent frontcourt with a barrage of big boy drives and offensive rebounds. And if they can get Dioubate into big trouble, it could mean a bloodbath on the glass in the Johnnies’ favor.

St. John’s now knows better where its bread is buttered than Kentucky. Pick: St. John’s -3.5

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