The Kentucky Wildcats (1-5) visit the Louisville Cardinals (5-1) in a holiday-week battle for the Commonwealth Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at the KFC Yum! Center. Below, we analyze the Kentucky-Louisville college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Kentucky at Louisville: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Kentucky +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Louisville -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Kentucky +4.5 (-110) | Louisville -4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 133.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Kentucky at Louisville: Three things to know
- Kentucky hasn’t played since last Saturday, and perhaps the timing for a layoff was good. The Wildcats have lost five in a row and appear to be in disarray on and off the court. Freshman F Cam’Ron Fletcher was asked to “step away” from the team after UK’s last loss (Dec. 19 at North Carolina). HC John Calipari‘s top-8 rotation includes five freshmen, and thus far the mix has been more combustible than commendable. Kentucky’s 1-5 start is the program’s worst through six games since the 1926-27 season.
- Louisville returns home after back-to-back road games, the first of which was an 85-48 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers which essentially knocked the Cardinals out of the top-25. UL’s leading scorer – G Carlik Jones – did not play in the game against UW. Jones did play Tuesday (at Pittsburgh). The 6-foot-1 Cincinnati native is a transfer from Radford; he averaged 20.0 points and 5.5 assists per game in 2019-20.
- UK’s losing streak has been a disaster in some stretches but not all. The five teams the ‘Cats have lost to have a combined record of 26-13 (.667). Four of the losses included lengthy runs with a Kentucky lead. Three-point shooting has been a major culprit in the losses: UK has shot just 21.8% from beyond the arc since its season-opening win against Morehead State.
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Kentucky at Louisville: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Louisville 68, Kentucky 64
Money line (ML)
STAND PAT. Not enough of a lean either way.
Against the spread (ATS)
PASS. This is a popular game with a well-made line. Only the slightest of leans – on Kentucky, especially if you could get +5 – can be teased out of this one.
Over/Under (O/U)
Kentucky’s games this season have delivered six Unders in as many tries. The Wildcats have scored 64 points or less in each game of their losing skid. For the season, UK ranks 279th in NCAA-I scoring (65.8 PPG).
Both these teams trend toward fewer possessions. Both can defend inside and midrange looks; both are adept at preventing transition and second-chance points.
The total here is a low one, but there is value in pegging a result even lower. Consider splitting your wager and holding a partial unit until tip time nears; you may benefit from an extra half-point. TAKE THE UNDER 133.5 (-110).
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