LEXINGTON, Ky. – North Carolina Central travels to the University of Kentucky to take on the Wildcats on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. The Eagles will play live on the SEC Network in Rupp Arena.
Game 12:
NCCU (3-8, 0-0 MEAC) at Kentucky (5-4, 0-0 SEC)
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Ky.
ESPN+ | Live Stats
Series History: This will be the first meeting ever between North Carolina Central and the University of Kentucky. The last time the Eagles took a trip to the Bluegrass State was on Nov. 26, 2016 at Northern Kentucky, in an 82-74 victory.
Scouting Kentucky: Kentucky is currently 5-4, receiving votes in the polls after being ranked 18th last week. The Wildcats lost their last two games against North Carolina and Gonzaga. UK's only other losses are to Louisville and Michigan State. The scoring leader for Kentucky is Otega Oweh at 13.7 points per game. Malachi Moreno leads the team in rebounding (7.1) and Jaland Lowe passes for 3.7 assists, but has only played three games this season. The Wildcats are 15th in the nation in fastbreak points (19.11) and 11th in defensive rebounds per game (30.67).
Last Time Out: NC Central suffered its first home loss this season at the hands of rival North Carolina A&T, falling 69-54 last Saturday. The Eagles struggled to score, allowing a second-half lead to slip away. Khouri Carvey (10) and Dionte Johnson (12) were the only Eagles to score in double figures. The contest had three ties and four lead changes.
Ballhawk DJ: Dionte Johnson is currently second in the nation in steals, totaling 36 so far. Last week, he swiped 11 steals, which included tying a season-best seven steals against North Carolina A&T. Johnson is also sixth in steals average at 3.27 per game; he is first in the MEAC in the same category.
Tour de P4: The Eagles are on the road 16 times this season, with nine away contests in non-conference action. Of those nine games, five are against Power Four conference programs. NCCU has made three stops in the ACC (NC State, Virginia, North Carolina). The final two P4 visits will be in SEC country (Kentucky) and in the Big Ten (Penn State).
MEAC Minute: NC Central sits first in four different categories in the MEAC. The Eagles lead in three-point field goal percentage (32.6 percent), free throw percentage (74.7 percent), blocks per game (3.64) and turnover margin (4.09). Khouri Carvey is first in rebounding (6.4) and Kelechi Okworogwo is first in defensive rebounding (4.1). Carvey is also first in field goal percentage (54.0 percent) and blocked shots (1.4), while Dionte Johnson is first in assists (5.8).
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.
