Cats Illustrated writers cover Kentucky’s game against Gonzaga tonight.

Jeff Drummond: This new mini-series with Gonzaga hasn’t started well for Kentucky. The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats two years ago and then returned to Lexington last season to comfortably face one of the most underprepared John Calipari teams we’ve ever seen at Rupp Arena. It’s safe to say that Mark Pope & Co. won’t be unprepared or won’t make adjustments, but can Great Britain win at Pro-Zags Seattle? For that to happen, the Cats must reverse their recent shooting weakness from the 3-point arc. They have shot less than 27% from distance in the last three games. That won’t be enough on Saturday. I think the pace will be more favorable than what we saw on Tuesday at Clemson. So if you go with the “Due Theory” and the Cats knock down more than 10 treys, I think Great Britain can win this game. Kentucky 83, Gonzaga 79, with Koby Brea coming back strong as my MVP.

Travis Graf: For me, what matters in this game is Lamont Butler’s health. If he plays, I think Kentucky wins, and I’ll approach this prediction as if he plays until I hear otherwise. Gonzaga’s rim protection isn’t great and I think this is a good game for Butler and Oweh to get downhill. I think Kentucky’s big men can keep up better with the Bulldogs’ bigs than Clemson’s. Kentucky needs to hit open shots that they missed earlier in the week. Kobe Brea has a big game, leading Kentucky to an 85-82 win.

David Sisk: This egg will be difficult to crack. Gonzaga is really good, a lot of players are coming back from a strong team from last year. A lot will depend on whether Lamont Butler plays. If so, the question arises as to how healthy his ankle is. I like Kentucky’s defensive abilities. This will definitely keep them in the game. Maybe in Rupp, but another away game against a top five to ten team would be a bit too much. Gonzaga 84 Kentucky 76

Justin Rowland: Gonzaga is a much different team than Clemson and I expect this team to score higher. Kentucky will have something to prove and a lot of it will depend on Lamont Butler. They were much better with him than they were with Kriisa against Clemson. But the Zags are going to be very tough out there and I need to see Kentucky start making more outside shots. Jags 85, cats 81.