The Kentucky Wildcats continue to get no media love heading into the Sweet 16. Coming off of a close win against a dangerous Wofford Terriers team, the Wildcats are heading to Kansas City to battle the Houston Cougars for a spot in the Elite 8. According to Jay Bilas, that game is the end of the line for Kentucky. Bilas has ranked the remaining 16 teams in the tournament, and while he gives Kentucky more respect than other outlets, he does not see them advancing without PJ Washington. This one is simple. Kentucky is top-five if PJ Washington is healthy and playing. Kentucky is not among the top 10 without him. The win over Wofford was one of the best wins of the tournament because the Wildcats are not the powerful interior scoring and finishing team without Washington, one of the nation’s best players. Kentucky’s defense was stellar against one of the best shooting teams in the country in Wofford, a top-10 offensive team. That defense will keep Kentucky competitive against anyone, but to score with anyone, Washington needs to be in the lineup. Bilas ranked Kentucky as the No. 6 team remaining in the field, adding that they are top-five if Washington is healthy. But while he ranks Houston as No. 12 out of 16, he believes they will beat the Wildcats if PJ does not suit up. The Cougars are tough as nails. Undersized at almost every position, Houston fights. The Cougars fight for rebounds, fight for position, fight for loose balls and fight for respect. Well, they have the latter, and they will continue to fight for the former three. Will Houston beat Kentucky? With a healthy PJ Washington, probably not. Without Washington, Houston will win. It is that simple. I love this Houston team. It’s interesting that Bilas is so definitive on Houston being a PJ-less Kentucky. Sure, the Wildcats aren’t the same team, but acting like they have little chance to beat Houston seems unwise. Jay Bilas’ Sweet 16 Rankings Jay Bilas agrees with everyone else in that PJ Washington’s health will dictate the Wildcats’ success in Kansas City. Do I think they can beat Houston without PJ? Absolutely, but it is far from guaranteed and becomes a toss-up. The cast should come off today. But will it stay off?<doc-sep>Date: March 29, 2019 Game Time: Approximately 10 pm EST (30 minutes after the conclusion of Auburn vs. North Carolina). Location: Sprint Center Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. TV Channel: Tonight’s game can be viewed on TBS. Announcers: Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel and Jamie Erdahl will be on the call. Online Stream: You can stream the game online or on your mobile device using NCAA March Madness Live. Radio: Tom Leach and Mike Pratt will have the UK radio network call on 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington. You can also listen to the Westwood One call of the game. Replay: NCAA March Madness and check local listings on CBS Sports Network. Odds: Kentucky opened as a 2.5-point favorite. As of Friday at noon, the Wildcats are a 2.5/3-point favorite in every major sportsbook. Predictions: UK has a 62.8-percent chance to win, according to ESPN’s matchup predictor. KenPom gives the Wildcats a 58-percent chance of winning and project a final score of 68-66. Go here for more expert picks and predictions. While we wait for the game, here is an Avengers-themed hyp video by Casey Miller to fire you up for tonight! And here’s one from the fine folks at Kentucky Wildcats TV: There has been little doubt within Big Blue Nation throughout the season that the Wildcats would make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Now that Kentucky is in the Sweet 16, this is where the rubber meets the road. In the chalkiest tournament of all-time, the 2 seed Wildcats will face off against 3 seed Houston on Friday for a spot in the Elite Eight. No, this Houston team is not Phi Slama Jama. But make no mistake, they are very good, especially on the defensive end. The Cougars are the top team in the country in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to just 36.6% from the floor on the season. For a Kentucky team that has been prone to scoring droughts, that is a scary stat. Houston is also No. 5 in the country in defensive efficiency and No. 6 in opponent points per game (61). They are not big, but they can defend. The starters for Houston stand at 6-1, 6-1, 6-3, 6-7, and 6-8. However, they are all quick and very aggressive. While they are not as elite on the offensive end, the Cougars are still capable. They average 75.8 points per game, yet they only shoot 44.7% from the floor. And although they only shoot 35.5% from the three-point line, they have two players that have made over 100 threes each for the season. Houston’s only losses on the season have come to the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Temple Owls, and the UCF Golden Knights. They boast victories over the Oregon Ducks, LSU Tigers, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys as far as power five wins are concerned. This is a very good Houston team, and Kentucky had better be ready. Now that it looks like PJ Washington is likely to suit up on Friday, Kentucky’s game plan should be to feed PJ and Reid Travis in the paint. There is certainly no match for them down there, and getting Houston’s “bigs” in foul trouble could really change the game. The Cougars defense is much more efficient if the offense is running through a perimeter player. And while I believe Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson hold Kentucky’s fate in their hands, Houston will have a much harder time defending Kentucky’s offense if it runs through Washington or Travis on the block. There have only been two games since early February with both PJ and Travis on the court, so the prospect of being at full strength is very exciting for Kentucky fans. The Cats and Cougars are scheduled to tip off at 9:59 p.m. Friday night with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. However, expect the game to begin closer to 10:30 p.m. Keys to the Game Efficient Offense The Kentucky Wildcats are No. 19 in the country in defensive efficiency, although there are times that does not feel like that is the case. Against Houston, the Wildcats need to be on top of their game. If Tyler Herro is having one of his off shooting days, or if Keldon Johnson decides to disappear on the offensive end, Kentucky is in for a long day. While I believe their best options on offense are in the paint, Herro and Johnson need to be able to put up points for the Wildcats to be in this game later. Take Care of the Ball A lot of Kentucky’s success on Friday will fall on Ashton Hagans. He absolutely cannot turn the ball over as much as he did the last six games of the regular season (3 per game) if the Wildcats hopes to advance. He only has three total through the first two games of the NCAA Tournament, and he will need to keep that up on Friday. Hit the Glass Yes, Houston typically holds teams to under 40% shooting on the season (27.8% from three). So how do you score points when you are shooting a low percentage? Take more shots. What’s the best way to take more shots? Get offensive rebounds. There is no reason that Washington and Travis, as well as EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards, should not own the offensive glass. They are significantly bigger and stronger than anyone on the Cougars’ roster. Second chance opportunities for Kentucky could be the difference for Kentucky in this game, so they need to make that a priority from the get-go. Players to Watch Corey Davis Jr. Houston’s strength is in depth of their roster. They have ten players that average over ten minutes per game. But if you are going to pick out their top performers, it starts with Davis. He leads the team in scoring with 17.1 points per game. He shoots over 38% from deep, and he is an excellent free throw shooter at 87.3% Davis also defends very well and will likely be matched up with Tyler Herro. Herro has to find ways to get open for shots. This may also be a good game for him to work off of the dribble and try to draw some fouls on Davis. Armoni Brooks Brooks is second on the team in points with 13.2 per game and leads the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game. He shoots nearly 39% from behind the three point line, and he has taken almost three hundred shots from there on the season. He is not afraid to shoot his shot. Brooks is the biggest guard in the starting lineup, thus he will probably be guarding Keldon Johnson. At only 6-3, however, Johnson will have a significant height advantage and should post Brooks up as much as possible. Galen Robinson, Jr. Robinson only averages 7.9 points per game, but he leads the team in assists with 4.9 and absolutely gets after it on defense. He leads this defensive juggernaut of a team with 1.3 steals per game, and as the point guard he will be trying to disrupt the play of Ashton Hagans. Robinson does not shot the ball particularly well, but he does rebound well from the guard position and Hagas will need to know where he is at all times. Like Johnson, Hagans will have a size advantages and needs to exploit that as much as possible.<doc-sep>
No. 2-seed Kentucky meets 3-seed Houston in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Kansas City. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:59 p.m. ET. Kentucky star PJ Washington missed the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament with a sprained foot, and his status will be monitored closely throughout the week. John Calipari is trying to lead the Wildcats to a fifth Final Four appearance in the last 10 seasons. Kelvin Sampson has Houston back in the limelight for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama days. This is their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1984. SN's MARCH MADNESS HQ Live NCAA bracket | Live scoreboard | Full TV schedule​ Here’s more on what should be a physical Sweet 16 matchup in the Midwest Region: No. 2 Kentucky Coach: John Calipari (27 years, 10 at Kentucky) Overall record: 29-6 Scoring leader: PJ Washington (14.8 ppg) Rebounding leader: Washington (7.6 rpg) Assists leader: Ashton Hagans (4.4 apg) Famous non-athlete alum: Ashley Judd No. 3 Houston Coach: Kelvin Sampson (30 years, five at Houston) Overall record: 33-3 Scoring leader: Corey Davis Jr. (17.1 ppg) Rebounding leader: Armoni Brooks (6.4 rpg) Assists leader: Galen Robinson Jr. (4.9 apg) Famous non-athlete alum: Jim Parsons Best individual matchup Corey Davis Jr. vs. Tyler Herro. If that is what Kentucky decides to do. Herro shut down Wofford's Fletcher Magee last week in the second round, helping hold him to 0-of-12 shooting from 3. Davis presents a different challenge, and Kentucky could rotate defenders on Houston's leading scorer. Herro also led Kentucky in 3-pointers made this season. If Washington can’t play, Herro needs to have a good shooting night for the Wildcats. MORE SWEET 16 PREVIEWS UNC-AUB | MSU-LSU | ZAGS-FSU | UVA-UO | PURDUE-UT | UM-TT | DUKE-VT Most eye-popping stat The Cougars lead the nation in defensive shooting percentage. Opponents hit just 36.6 percent of their shots against the Cougars. Kentucky shot 25.9 percent from 3-point range in the first weekend. If Washington can’t go (and even if he can), the Wildcats must have great spacing and better shot selection if they are going to attack a long defense. Kentucky wins if … Kentucky can play defense, too. Opponents shoot just 40 percent against the Wildcats. The rebounding battle will be tight. If Kentucky can get out in transition with Hagans for easy baskets, and if Reid Travis matches Brooks inside, the Wildcats will be in position to win late in the game. Houston wins if … They are good enough from 3-point range. That is the common thread in their three losses, the most recent against Cincinnati in the AAC championship game. Houston was 8 of 33 in that loss and relied too much on that shot. Look for Davis to attack off the drive to get Kentucky into foul trouble. The Cougars can win this game with that formula, especially if Washington is out. MORE: Why your team won't make the Final Four Sweet 16 pick: Kentucky It goes beyond Calipari's 11-3 record in the Sweet 16. This is an opportunity for Keldon Johnson, who has hit double figures in five of Kentucky's last seven games. When he stays out of foul trouble, the Wildcats are good. This will be a grinder game, and the Wildcats' shot selection will be the focus. We think Kentucky gets enough in transition to advance to the Elite Eight.