How No. 19 Kentucky and Michigan match up — with a game prediction

How the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats (5-2) and the Michigan Wolverines (5-2) match up at each position for Sunday’s men’s college basketball game at The O2 Arena in London, England — with a game prediction:

Small forward

▪ Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves (team-high 14.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 46.9% treys) has quietly moved into the leading-scorer’s position on the UK stat sheet. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Chicago product has scored in double figures in six of Kentucky’s seven games. What the transfer from Illinois State has yet to do is shoot the ball well from behind the arc against a good team. In UK’s losses to Michigan State and Gonzaga, Reeves is a combined three of 10 on three-pointers. It will be interesting to see if Reeves can get his shot going vs. Michigan.

▪ Michigan’s Jett Howard (15.1 ppg, 50.7% FGs, 43.8% treys) has gotten his freshman season off to an impressive start. The 6-8, 215-pound wing, the youngest son of Wolverines head man Juwan Howard, has scored in double figures in every game but one this year — a nine-point showing vs. Eastern Michigan. Jett Howard had 15 points, three rebounds and two assists in Michigan’s down-to-the-wire, 70-68 home loss vs. No. 3 Virginia on Tuesday night.

Advantage: Michigan.

Michigan freshman Jett Howard (13) is averaging 15.1 points and making 50.7 percent of his field-goal tries and 43.8 percent of his three-point attempts.

Power forward

▪ UK’s Jacob Toppin (12.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 11 assists vs. six turnovers) seems to still be making the adjustment to filling a featured role for the Wildcats after serving as an “energy guy” off the bench in his first two seasons at Kentucky after transferring from Rhode Island. The 6-9, 205-pound senior has made only 18 of 42 shots over UK’s past three games and has hit 50 percent in a contest only once this season — 4-of-8 vs. South Carolina State. Toppin scored six points during the 14-3, second-half run that saw Kentucky separate from a 32-32 tie in what became a 60-41 win over plucky Bellarmine on Tuesday night.

▪ Michigan’s Terrance Williams II (8.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 38.5% FGs) was one of the heroes of the Wolverines’ 76-68 upset of No. 3 seed Tennessee in last season’s NCAA Tournament round of 32. Now a 6-7, 225-pound junior, Williams II had two late-game, follow-shot dunks that completely flipped the momentum on the Volunteers. This season, the Clinton, Md., product had a double-double, 18 points and 11 boards, in an 88-83 win over Eastern Michigan and went for eight points and seven boards in Tuesday’s loss to Virginia.

Advantage: Kentucky.

Center

▪ Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe (14.4 points, 13.4 rebounds, 56.4% FGs) had what felt like a quiet game in the win over Bellarmine — and still finished with eight points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. As one would expect from the reigning National Player of the Year, the 6-9, 260-pound senior from the Democratic Republic of Congo has played well this season on big stages. Tshiebwe had 22 points and 18 rebounds in UK’s double-overtime loss to Michigan State in the Champions Classic and 20 points and 15 boards in Kentucky’s defeat to Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash.

▪ Michigan junior star Hunter Dickinson (19.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 16 blocked shots) has led the Wolverines in scoring and rebounding in each one of his collegiate seasons to date. The 7-1, 260-pound product of Alexandria, Va., was terrific in defeat Tuesday vs. Virginia, going for 23 points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking five shots. Dickinson has been above 20 points in four of seven games in 2022-23, with a season high of 31 in the win over Eastern Michigan.

Advantage: Even.

Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe (34) is averaging 14.4 points and 13.4 rebounds through five games. Tshiebwe and the No. 19 Wildcats face Michigan Sunday at 1 p.m. (EST) in London, England.

Shooting guard

▪ After shooting 50 percent or better in Kentucky’s first five games, freshman Cason Wallace (10.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.9 steals) has made a combined four of 13 field-goal tries, two of nine three-point tries, over the Wildcats’ past two contests. Through games of Thursday night, the ball-hawking, 6-4, 193-pound product of Dallas was tied for 16th in the country in steals with 20.

▪ A Grand Rapids product, Michigan sophomore Kobe Bufkin (9.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 38.1% FGs, 18.5% treys) is the only in-state player who plays a significant role for the Wolverines. The 6-4, 195-pound sophomore has struggled with his outside shot; Bufkin has made only five of 27 three-point attempts this season. He is a 20.6-percent three-point shooter for his college career to date. Bufkin played well vs. Virginia with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.

Advantage: Kentucky.

Kentucky freshman guard Cason Wallace (22) is 16th in NCAA Division I in steals with 20.

Point guard

▪ Kentucky’s Sahvir Wheeler (8.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 7.3 apg) has been quite impressive in 2022-23 in ball security. The 5-9, 180-pound senior has 44 assists vs. only 11 turnovers through six games. After making 44.1% of his field-goal tries last season, Wheeler is making only 39.5% this season. Against Michigan State and Gonzaga, Wheeler averaged 11.5 points and six assists but made only eight of 22 shots.

▪ A graduate transfer from Princeton, Michigan’s Jaelin Llewellyn (7.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg) has struggled in adjusting to running the point for a Big Ten power. The 6-2, 190-pound product of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, is shooting only 31.9% (15-of-47) on field-goal tries and 20 percent (5-of-20) on treys. He also has only 18 assists vs. nine turnovers. The Wolverines hope Llewellyn can ultimately perform at the level another Ivy League transfer, Mike Smith (Columbia), did at point guard for Michigan’s 2020-21 Big Ten championship team.

Advantage: Kentucky.

Bench

▪ Kentucky’s CJ Fredrick (10.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2 apg, 42.6% FGs, 35.9% treys) had eight points in the decisive run that put away Bellarmine on Tuesday night. The 6-3, 185-pound Covington Catholic product went a combined 2-of-12 on three-point shots vs. Michigan State and Gonzaga. UK needs better from him against good competition. ... Freshman forward Chris Livingston (7.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 44% FGs, 30% treys) brought good energy for the Wildcats vs. Bellarmine. ... Junior Lance Ware (4.3 pppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 blocks) could be important helping defend Hunter Dickinson.

▪ A transfer from Duke, Michigan’s Joey Baker (5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 50% treys) has made 10 of 20 three-point shots this season. The 6-7, 205-pound wing had 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting in Michigan’s 91-60 win over Pittsburgh Nov. 16. ... Freshman point guard Dug McDaniel (4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.3 apg) has 16 assists but has struggled with his shot — 12-of-36 field goals, 2-of-10 treys. ... Freshman big man Tarris Reed (2.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 58.3% FGs) has made seven of 12 field-goal tries but only four of 12 free throws.

Advantage: Kentucky.

Intangibles and history

▪ Kentucky leads the all-time series with Michigan 5-2.

▪ John Calipari is 1-0 as UK head man vs. the Wolverines, a 75-72 win in the 2014 NCAA Tournament round of eight.

▪ Michigan head man Juwan Howard has never coached against Kentucky. However, as a player, Howard scored 17 points in the Wolverines’ most-recent win over UK, an 81-78 overtime victory in the 1993 NCAA tourney Final Four.

▪ Both teams have ample reason to feel keenly motivated. After taking losses to Michigan State and Gonzaga in the only marquee games Kentucky has played this season, the Wildcats very much need to beat Michigan. The Wolverines are coming off a two-point, home loss to No. 3 Virginia in a game that “got away” late.

▪ Playing in England is not apt to lend itself to an energetic crowd environment. So the advantage probably goes to whichever team can internally generate its own vigor.

Advantage: Even.