Two of college basketball’s all-time great programs will square off Saturday in a legendary venue as No. 13 Kentucky takes on No. 16 UCLA as part of the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. The game will follow an earlier tilt between North Carolina and No. 23 Ohio State as part of the event, which highlights a triple-header of marquee college basketball action on CBS.

Both Kentucky and UCLA began the season ranked in side the top-10 of the AP Top 25 but have produced mixed results in the early portion of the season. However, both squads appear to be trending up by having notched big wins over quality opponents away from home in recent outings.

Kentucky defeated Michigan 73-69 in London on Dec. 4 and has only played once since then — a 69-59 win over Yale on Dec. 10 — amid a portion in college basketball’s calendar when the schedule gets a little light due to final exams. At 7-2, the Wildcats have looked stronger recently after showing some flaws in losses to Michigan State and Gonzaga last month. Defense is Kentucky’s calling card as the Wildcats enter holding opponents to just 38.1% shooting from the floor. That makes Kentucky the nation’s 22nd-best defense in the country in terms of opponent’s shooting percentage. Offense…