Illinois-Chicago @ Kentucky preview

Kentucky is still waiting for its offense to come around, but the defense has been steady through the season's first two weeks. The eighth-ranked Wildcats have not allowed more than 69 points yet and hope to maintain that streak with another solid defensive effort against visiting Illinois-Chicago on Sunday.

The Wildcats' only loss this season was a four-point defeat against Kansas, another Final Four contender, although their wins have hardly been works of art. Wednesday's rout of Fort Wayne was a rare exception, as freshman Nick Richards had career highs of 25 points and 15 rebounds, and Kentucky drained 19-of-27 first-half shots and never looked back. "It was a good win for me and my team," said Richards. "We just came out here to have a ball, just try to have fun." UIC's most notable opponent to this point has been Saint Joseph's, which needed overtime to get past the Flames 86-82.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT UIC (2-2): The Flames have alternated wins and losses in their first four games and, like Kentucky, faced Fort Wayne their last time out. UIC managed only 51 points in that loss and posted poor shooting numbers from the field (32.3 percent), beyond the arc (8-of-28) and at the foul line (17-of-26). Dikembe Dixson (14.3 points) and Marcus Ottey (12.3) are the top scorers for the Flames, while Tai Odiase chips in 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and two blocks per contest.

ABOUT KENTUCKY (5-1): The Wildcats start five freshmen, including Kevin Knox - the team's leading scorer at 14.7 points - and Richards, who averages 8.2 points and leads the team with seven boards per game. Hamidou Diallo, another freshman after he sat out last season, is looking to bounce back from a three-game stretch in which he has shot 9-of-26 from the floor. Quade Green essentially has the opposite story, as the freshman point guard is 19-of-29 from the floor in the last three outings after initially starting slowly this season.

TIP-INS

1. Kentucky is only shooting 62.7 percent from the foul line. P.J. Washington (11-of-28) is the biggest culprit for the team's woes from the stripe.

2. Wildcats G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 16 steals - more than twice as many as any of his teammates.

3. Kentucky's opponents are shooting 27.6 percent beyond the arc.

PREDICTION: Kentucky 77, Illinois-Chicago 66