The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-2) visit the Kentucky Wildcats (1-3) Saturday at Rupp Arena for a noon ET tip-off. Below, we analyze the Notre Dame-Kentucky college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Notre Dame at Kentucky: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Notre Dame +260 (bet $100 to win $260) | Kentucky -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Notre Dame +7.5 (-115) | Kentucky -7.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 144.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Notre Dame at Kentucky: Three things to know
- Notre Dame played No. 22 Ohio State tough in a 90-85 home loss Tuesday. The Irish led 42-34 at the break and 55-44 with 14:38 to go but were outscored 46-30 the rest of the way. G Prentiss Hubb led the Irish with a game-high 26 points, while F Nate Laszewski added 17 points and nine rebounds in the defeat. Notre Dame’s other loss was in its opener at then-No. 13 Michigan State 80-70.
- A 1-3 start finds Kentucky out of the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Poll after opening No. 9 in the preseason rankings. Following an easy 81-45 opening victory vs. cupcake Morehead State, the Wildcats have lost to Richmond (76-64), then-No. 7 Kansas (65-62) and recently at Georgia Tech (79-62) last Sunday. The Wildcats, who lost eight of their top nine scorers from last season, started four freshmen vs. Ga. Tech. Freshmen G B.J. Boston and Terrence Clarke lead the Wildcats in scoring with 14.5 points per game and 13.8 PPG, respectively.
- Kentucky leads the all-time series 38-9, according to sports-reference.com. The last meeting was a “classic” battle in the 2015 Midwest Regional Final. The ‘Cats, who were 37-0 and ranked No. 1, rallied to claim a 68-66 thriller over the then-No. 8 Irish. Kentucky trailed most of the second half but made its last nine field-goal attempts and needed Andrew Harrison’s two free throws with 6 seconds left to advance to the Final Four.
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Notre Dame at Kentucky: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Notre Dame 72, Kentucky 66
Money line (ML)
NOTRE DAME (+260) is worth a half-unit play. The Irish are more experienced and have played two tough teams in the Spartans and Buckeyes. We’ll make our money on the spread (below), but we might as well take a shot at the +260 money line.
Against the spread (ATS)
NOTRE DAME +7.5 (-115) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. Kentucky is struggling from the 3-point line, shooting 25.4 percent (17-for-67).
UK is also having issues protecting the ball, averaging 18.3 turnovers a game. Look for the well-tested Irish to take advantage, especially with Rupp Arena not filled with rabid fans.
Over/Under (O/U)
Back the UNDER 144.5 (-120). Notre Dame is averaging 77.7 PPG and Kentucky is scoring at a 67.3 PPG clip. With the noon start, look for a slow start from both teams.
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| Johnny’s 2020 CBK record / Strongest plays | 1-1 / 0-1 |
| 2019-20 CBK record / Strongest plays | 5-3 / 5-0 |
| 2020 overall record (all sports) | 157-120-3 |
| Strongest plays (all sports) | 77-47-1 |
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