Kentucky vs. Indiana: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Spread Info and More

The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will assemble at, errr, Assembly Hall in Bloomington to take on a resurgent Indiana Hoosiers squad in a tilt between two of the most storied programs in college basketball.

John Calipari's club is coming off a thrilling 73-72 victory over North Carolina last weekend, while Tom Crean's kids haven't taken the court since crushing Stetson on Sunday, 84-50.

Bobby Knight and the ghost of Adolph Rupp will probably spend the day yelling at each other.

Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana.

When: Saturday, December 10th at 5:15 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Listen: UK IMG, IU Radio Network (Sirius 92/XM 190)

Live Stream: WatchESPN

What's At Stake:

For an early-season, out-of-conference game, this one actually has quite a bit of meaning for both teams. UK and IU currently boast "identical" 8-0 records, though the Wildcats have compiled theirs against the likes of Kansas, St. Johns and North Carolina, while the Hoosiers' best wins came at the expense of Butler and North Carolina State.

And that makes no mention of the longstanding "border war" bragging rights between the pillars of these two hoop-crazy states.

For Tom Crean's Hoosiers, though, this game will serve as a measuring stick for his program, which has come a long way since Crean first took over in 2008 but still has a ways to go before it can consider itself anywhere near the sport's elite once again.

What They're Saying:

Saturday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for Marquis Teague, one of Kentucky's quartet of high-quality freshmen. Teague is a native of the Hoosier State, having been named a McDonald's All-American during his high school days in Indianapolis, but ultimately chose to play for John Calipari rather than Tom Crean. He's well aware of the flak he's about to catch from fans in his home state, as he told KentuckySports.com:

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"I know when I come out, they're going to boo me a lot, and things like that. I just tell them I feel like Kentucky was the best for me. When they say something negative, you just can't pay attention to it."

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Tom Crean addressed the effect that a raucous atmosphere at Assembly Hall might have on his players, as he told reporters at his weekly press conference:

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"There is going to be a lot of energy in the building. This is a very caring group. They care about how they play and they care about each other. They want to do well. There are still a lot of relatively very young guys that will be in an environment like that."

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Kentucky Player to Watch: F Anthony Davis

On an uber-talented team loaded with future NBA draft picks, Anthony Davis (and his unibrow) stand above the rest. The projected top pick in the 2012 pool has already proven to be a tremendous defender, averaging 9.1 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 1.4 steals through his first eight collegiate games.

Davis hasn't been too shabby on offense, either, with a 12.3 point-per-game average to this point, though it's clear that he's still largely deferring to his teammates and biding his time. That being said, there's plenty of reason to believe that a kid of his tremendous basketball skills and physical gifts will be an unstoppable offensive force as well once he learns to be aggressive.

When that happens, watch out.

Indiana Player to Watch: F Cody Zeller

Yes, you read that name correctly—there's another Zeller in the scene. Cody has emerged as one of the best freshmen in the country, even if nobody outside of the state of Indiana has paid much attention to him. Zeller, Indiana's Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-American as a high school senior, currently leads the Hoosiers in points (15.5) and rebounds (7.5).

Everyone will be busy raving about Davis and UK's freshmen, but don't overlook Zeller, who will have a golden opportunity to show off his considerable skills in the post in front of a national TV audience on Saturday.

Key Matchup: Davis vs. Zeller

This matchup of big men is about much more than just freshman star power. These two are (and will be) the keys to success for their respective teams in this game.

If Anthony Davis can neutralize Cody Zeller on offense, then this will be a walkover for UK.

On the flip side, the Hoosiers may yet have a shot at upending the No. 1 team in the country if Zeller can find room to operate against Davis' length and athleticism.

Prediction: UK 78, IU 65

Kentucky's incredible pool of talent will be far too much for IU to handle, even amidst a noisy, red-clad home crowd. The Hoosiers will acquit themselves well in the biggest game of the Crean era so far but will only be able to hang with the likes of Davis, Teague, Mike Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb for so long before the disparity between the teams becomes painfully obvious.

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