Tag: Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky at LSU college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Kentucky Wildcats at LSU Tigers sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks, tips and bets.

The Kentucky Wildcats (20-5) travel to Baton Rouge, La., to pay a visit to the LSU Tigers (18-7) Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET in an SEC battle at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. We analyze the Kentucky-LSU odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Kentucky at LSU: Three things you need to know

1. The Wildcats rank 10th in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll, and they have won four in a row since losing 75-66 at Auburn Feb. 1. Two games back, Kentucky trailed Vanderbilt for 27 minutes before righting the ship to win 78-64, and last time out (Saturday), UK had all kinds of trouble against a barely-.500 Ole Miss squad before escaping with a 67-62 win.

2. LSU’s defense has reared its ugly head of late, and the Tigers have lost three of their last four games. LSU allows 72.7 points per game overall, and the Bayou Bengals have coughed up 89 per contest over their last quartet of games. The Tigers have allowed some big shooting numbers while not forcing enough turnovers.

3. The wild-card in the matchup is the venue. LSU hasn’t lost at home since Dec. 18 and the Wildcats’ defense travels well. UK is tremendous on defense overall, and it has exhibited almost no loss of fidelity away from Rupp Arena. One LSU trend running counter to its success on the surface: The Tigers are 1-4 against the spread over their last five midweek home games.

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Kentucky at LSU: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:10 a.m. ET.

Prediction

LSU 78, Kentucky 73

Moneyline (ML)

LSU is likely to win this game, but there’s little value in backing the Tigers at -154 for the outright win. PASS on the moneyline bet and play the spread.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Kentucky is 3-8 ATS over its last 11 meetings with LSU. The Wildcats are 2-5 ATS against teams scoring more than 77 points per game. Over the last three seasons, the Tigers are 5-1 ATS as a home favorite of three or fewer points.

The coaches poll is way higher on UK than the analytics. Across the market, this spread has started to lean toward the home five. BACK LSU (-2, -125) to win by at least three points as a small-confidence play.

Over/Under (O/U)

The Over has prevailed in four straight LSU games. For both teams, the Over is four games above .500 in games against winning teams.

Kentucky’s elite ability to get to the free-throw line (and connect) keeps this one within two scores most of — if not all — the way. The OVER 148.5 (-110) is a moderate lean.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Steve Kerr on Devin Booker’s All-Star Game snub: ‘I voted for him’

Steve Kerr said he voted for Devin Booker to make the 2020 NBA All-Star game and was disappointed when the Suns’ guard didn’t get the nod .

For the first time in years, the Golden State Warriors do not have a member of their team participating in the NBA All-Star Game. While the 2019-20 edition of the Warriors may not have a player competing at an All-Star level, the Phoenix Suns have a different argument.

Joining the Warriors on the outside of All-Star weekend is Suns’ shooting guard, Devin Booker. The Kentucky Wildcat product is averaging 26.4 points, 6.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Booker is shooting a career-best 49.9 % from the field, adding 36.2 % from beyond the arc.

Booker has been a centerpiece for the Suns’ steady improvement, leading them to 21 wins before the All-Star break. Over the past four seasons, Phoenix has had win totals of 19, 21, 24 and 23 for the entire year.

However, Booker’s efficient season wasn’t enough to get a nod to the 2020 All-Star game in Chicago.

The Golden State Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr was an advocate to get Booker into the game and was disappointed when the Suns’ shooting guard didn’t get a bid from the Western Conference. Before Golden State tipped off against Booker and the Suns, Kerr told reporters in Phoenix that he voted for Booker to get into the game.

I agree with them on the All-Star part — I voted for him, and I’m not just saying that cause we’re playing against them tonight — I’m not saying that to butter him up. I think he’s had an All-Star year; I think he’s been fantastic — the efficiency, the Suns’ overall improvement — I think he’s played a huge role in it, and I was disappointed for him. I don’t know him, but just watching him — he’s an All-Star player. It happens every year though — you get a couple of guys left out, and you think, ‘well, they deserved it’ and then you look at the team and go, ‘everybody on the team pretty much deserved it too’— so it’s never an easy math equation.

Although their coach is a fan of Booker’s game, it’ll be Golden State’s final challenge before the All-Star break to slow him down. Damion Lee, Jordan Poole and Ky Bowman will be tasked with containing Booker on his All-Star revenge tour.

A quick stop in Phoenix will be the Warriors’ final chance to end their current three-game losing streak before the All-Star break.

Kentucky Wildcats at Auburn Tigers college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing Kentucky Wildcats at Auburn Tigers sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Kentucky Wildcats (16-4) head to Auburn Arena to play the Auburn Tigers (18-2) at 6:00 p.m. ET. We analyze the Kentucky-Auburn odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Wildcats at Tigers: Three things you need to know

  1. Auburn is 3-6 straight up and 4-4-1 against the spread versus the Wildcats since Bruce Pearl’s first season at Auburn (2014-15).
  2. Kentucky has won eight of its previous nine games, including two overtime victories over ranked opponents – the Louisville Cardinals and Texas Tech Red Raiders.
  3. Auburn is winners of three in a row after dropping the previous two to SEC opponents—Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide— by double-digits.

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Wildcats at Tigers: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Auburn 79, Kentucky 70

Moneyline (ML)

We are backing the senior-laden Auburn -167 team against the trademark diaper dandy stacked Wildcats +135. The four starting seniors for Auburn are going to be jacked up to win in their final home game against SEC-rival Kentucky who’s starting zero seniors.

However, what gives me pause in betting the moneyline is Kentucky is the first ranked opponent for Auburn in 2019-20, while the Wildcats are 3-1 straight up and against the spread against ranked competition. I do like Auburn in this spot but still I’m PASSING ON A MONEY LINE WAGER in Kentucky-Auburn.

Against the Spread (ATS)

I LOVE AUBURN -3.5 (-110) for a couple of trendy reasons:

  • Auburn has the second-best ATS record in the SEC since 2014 at 45-37-1 with a 10.2 margin of victory and Kentucky has the second-worst ATS record as a road team at 24-30-1 ATS.
  • Kentucky doesn’t do well when spotted points on the road:  the Wildcats are 5-8 ATS as a road ‘dog since 2014.  And the Tigers have the best ATS record in the SEC when laying points at home:  they are 37-23-1 ATS and a 15.8 margin of victory with Pearl at the helm.

Over/Under (O/U)

LET’S TAKE the OVER 142.5 (-121) in Kentucky-Auburn. The Tigers have a 6-4-1 over/under record at home and the Wildcats have a 4-0 O/U record on the road. Also, we like Auburn laying points in this spot so it’s good to note that their O/U record as a home favorite is 38-21-2 since 2014, which is an SEC high for overs in that period. Furthermore, Kentucky has a 8-5 O/U record as an away underdog in that time frame.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Kentucky at Texas Tech college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Kentucky Wildcats at Texas Tech Red Raiders sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball picks and best bets

The Kentucky Wildcats (14-4) visit the Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-6) at United Supermarkets Arena in Texas Tech’s hometown of Lubbock, TX. Saturday for a 6 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Kentucky-Texas Tech odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

Kentucky at Texas Tech: Three things you need to know

  1. Kentucky has beaten Texas Tech in each of their previous four head-to-head games.
  2. The Big XII is 35-25 all-time in the Big XII-SEC Challenge.
  3. Kentucky-Texas Tech is the only matchup of ranked teams playing in Saturday’s Big XII-SEC Challenge 10-game slate.

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Kentucky at Texas Tech: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Kentucky 68, Texas Tech 61

Moneyline (ML)

The Wildcats have played much better recently than the Red Raiders; Kentucky has won six of its last seven games and Texas Tech has lost three of its last five. The balance in the talent scales tips in favor of Kentucky, which has nine top-100 RSCI ranked players compared to Texas Tech, which has just three.

It shows when looking at each team’s record against ranked opponents. Since 2015, Kentucky is 20-17 straight up against ranked opponents compared to Texas Tech’s 20-22 mark against ranked opponents. Texas Tech is 4-2 outright in the Big XII-SEC Challenge but none of those games were played against a ranked opponent, while Kentucky is 3-3 in the Big XII-SEC Challenge and all six opponents were ranked.

TAKE KENTUCKY (+165) to win outright. New to sports betting? Bet $40 to earn a profit of $66 if Kentucky can win.

Against the Spread (ATS)

If we like the Wildcats to win straight up, then we LOVE KENTUCKY +4.5 (-115). Texas Tech is 9-1 at home on the season but just 5-5 against the spread versus a Kentucky team that is both 2-1 straight up and ATS.

Both teams play good defense—Kentucky is ranked 28th in the nation in opponent field-goal percentage and Texas Tech is 57th in opponent field-goal percentage—but the Wildcats have a decent offense (ranked 54th in FG%) compared to the Red Raiders’ putrid offense (ranked 149th in the nation in FG%).

HAMMER KENTUCKY +4.5 (-115).

Over/Under (O/U)

The combined Over/Under record of Kentucky and Texas Tech is 18-17-1 this season, and since 2015 their combined record versus ranked opponents is 35-43-1. Recently, the Over is 7-1 in the Wildcats’ last eight games overall but the Under is 4-1 in the Red Raiders’ last five overall.

This is a toss-up for me and I am saying PASS ON A TOTAL BET in this game. The line’s set at 132.5 (Over: -110, Under: -110).

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Georgia basketball falls to Kentucky at home

The Kentucky Wildcats overcame a six point halftime deficit to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens by a score of 78-69 this Tuesday night.

Kentucky pulled away late Tuesday night to beat Tom Crean’s Georgia Bulldogs at home by a score of 78 – 69.

What may have seemed like an easy conference victory for the Wildcats, the final score doesn’t quite represent the type of game the Dawgs put up.

Georgia finished out the first half leading Kentucky by a score of 37 – 31, led by no other than freshman guard and future NBA lottery pick, Anthony Edwards.  Edwards, the Atlanta native finished the contest with a game high 23 points on 8/17 shooting as well as 3/9 from three-point range.  Joining Edwards in the double digit category was Jordan Harris, who finished the night with 10 points, helping to electrify the sellout crowd in Athens.  Edwards also tacked on 5 rebounds and 2 assists, but it wasn’t quite enough to beat John Calipari’s disciplined squad.

Kentucky featured a much more balanced offense, with four players scoring in double digits.  Kentucky spread the floor very nicely and were able to get good spacing for high quality shots.

Leading the Wildcat charge were freshman guard Tyrese Maxey and junior forward Nick Richards.  Maxey finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks while Richards had 17 of his own, going along with 7 rebounds.

Kentucky struggled rebounding the ball in the first half as well as shooting free throws, but the Dawgs poor three-point shooting helped the Wildcats stay in the game.  Georgia led by as many as nine points in the first half but just couldn’t hang on late in the 2nd.

Immanuel Quickley hit a three-pointer with 8:09 left in the game to give Kentucky their first lead of the 2nd half.  The game remained close until Quickely hit another dagger three with only 3:59 remaining, giving Kentucky a 66 – 61 lead that eventually snowballed into a Wildcat victory and an agonizing defeat for the Bulldogs.

“I feel like we just didn’t play with toughness in the second half,” Edwards said postgame. “I played bad defense. We all played bad defense.”

Coming off a big upset victory over Memphis, this win would’ve given the Dawgs major brownie points in NCAA Tournament talks.  It was a hard fought game until the last minute and shows Georgia can hoop with anyone this season.

Belk Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Belk Bowl between the Virginia Tech Hokies and Kentucky Wildcats, with NCAA football betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Virginia Tech Hokies (8-4) and Kentucky Wildcats (7-5) do battle in the Belk Bowl Tuesday, played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET (ESPN). We analyze the Virginia Tech-Kentucky odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky: Three things you need to know

1. The Wildcats will be making their first-ever appearance in the Belk Bowl. They’re looking for a second consecutive bowl victory after upsetting Penn State in the Citrus Bowl last season by a 27-24 count.

2. Kentucky ranks fourth in the country with 274.8 rushing yards per game, while Virginia Tech ranked 27th against the rush defensively, yielding 123.4 yards per outing. That will be where this game is won or lost.

3. The Under is 4-1 in Kentucky’s past five bowl games, while going 6-2 in its past eight neutral-site games. The Over is 6-2-2 in Virginia Tech’s past 10 neutral-site contests.

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Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Virginia Tech 31, Kentucky 17

Moneyline (ML)

VIRGINIA TECH (-134) was humming along until a loss to Virginia in the regular-season finale. Still, the Hokies are the play here, as Kentucky (+110) is just too one-dimensional. That’s fine against the likes of Vanderbilt or Tennessee-Martin, but it won’t fly against a more seasoned team like the Gobblers.

Against the Spread (ATS)

VIRGINIA TECH (-2.5, -115) is a strong play against Kentucky (+2.5, -106). The Hokies have cashed in five of their past six, and as mentioned, they’re just more balanced. If the Hokies can shut down, or at least limit the likes of Swiss Army Knife Lynn Bowden Jr., who led the team in rushing and receiving yards, they’ll shut down Kentucky and hoist a trophy.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER 45.5 (-110) is worth a small-unit play, but don’t get crazy. The Over has dominated for the Hokies in neutral-site games, going 6-2-2 in the past 10, and 7-3-1 in their past 11 as a favorite on a neutral field. The Over is 7-3 in Kentucky’s past 10 against winning teams, and 20-7 in its past 27 non-conference tilts, too.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Louisville at Kentucky odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats sports betting odds and lines, with NCAA basketball betting picks and tips.

The Louisville Cardinals (11-1, 2-0 ACC) and Kentucky Wildcats (8-3, 0-0 SEC) square off at Rupp Arena in Lexington at 3:45 p.m. ET Saturday. We analyze the Louisville-Kentucky odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

The Cardinals are ranked fourth in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

Louisville at Kentucky: Three things you need to know

1. The Cardinals covered the spread in five of their past six games, and they’re 4-1 against the spread in the past five as a road favorite, too.

2. Kentucky has cashed in just one of its past five against the spread, while going 1-4 ATS in the past five at home. The favorite has cashed in four of the past five meetings in this series, which bodes well for Big Blue.

3. Kentucky still ranks 330th in the nation with just 27.8% of its 3-pointers made. The Wildcats are 14th in the country with 78.5% free throws made.

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Louisville at Kentucky: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:10 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Louisville 67, Kentucky 62

Moneyline (ML)

The moneyline wasn’t available at the time of publishing.

Against the Spread (ATS)

LOUISVILLE (+1.5, -121) is the play, as the No. 4-ranked Cardinals are slight dogs on the road. You can expect the Cardinals to feel a little disrespect and come out with a chip on their shoulders against the rival Wildcats (-1.5, +100).

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 131.5 (-110) is the way to go, as it has been the dominant trend for the ‘Ville. The Under is 4-1-1 in the past six for the Cards, and 14-5 in the past 19 against teams with a winning record, too. The Under is 19-7 in the past 26 at home for the Wildcats, and 20-8 in the past 28. Unless Kentucky suddenly gets well and starts banging 3-pointers, something the Wildcats have struggled with all season, this game should stay Under the projected number.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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After six years, Ohio State basketball held its own in the CBS Sports Classic

The Ohio State basketball program held its own against other blue-bloods of college basketball during the history of the CBS Sports Classic

When the CBS Sports Classic was first announced as a three-year run from 2014 through 2016, many asked which of these things don’t belong. The deal with the whole event was to pit some of the most dominant programs in college basketball history against one another in a round robin, three-year tournament.

But many asked why Ohio State was put among blue bloods Kentucky, UCLA, and North Carolina. I mean, the Buckeyes are a football school right, and lack the pedigree of those three dominant programs?

Well, yes, and no.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll continue to say it until we’re blue (but not Carolina or Kentucky blue) in the face. If it weren’t for football, Ohio State might be known as a basketball school.

The Buckeyes only have one national title to their credit, but they have as many Big Ten championships as any team in the conference when adding together regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles. Ohio Sate is also tied for sixth in Final Fours in the history of the sport, and have a slew of NCAA appearances and wins — even some national players of the year to boast about.

So, it should be no surprise then that Ohio State backed up that history with a respectable showing against those three other schools after the CBS Sports Classic was extended to six years, the last of which just ended this past weekend.

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It was an up and down affair to be sure over that time, but with the win over Kentucky on Saturday, OSU finished with a 3-3 record, second only to North Carolina who went 4-2. The Wildcats tied Ohio State with a 3-3 record, while UCLA had the worst showing of the four schools with a 2-4 record over the six years.

Here’s how the Buckeyes fared against each:

Kentucky: OSU went 2-0 (wins in 2015 and 2019)
UCLA: OSU went 1-1 (lost in 2016, won in 2018)
North Carolina: OSU went 0-2 (lost in 2014 and 2017)

And what about Chris Holtmann? He’s done well for himself going 2-1, with the lone loss coming to North Carolina in 2017.

There’s been no news about extending the event for another three years, but it sure was a fun tournament to showcase Ohio State over the last six years. We’ll have to see if CBS liked it enough, and if the four programs believe it fits into their scheduling philosophy going forward.

Not bad for a football school eh?

Ohio State basketball’s win over Kentucky in stunning photos

Ohio State added another quality win to its resume with a 71-65 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Re-live the victory in stunning photos.

Nothing says a big win like high-resolution images that capture big moments. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and there’s plenty to say after the Ohio State basketball team added another win to an already impressive resume.

So, take some time to scroll through some game images from the action on the court between Ohio State and Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic out in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buckeyes were able to extend its modest one point lead at halftime out to a couple of buckets in the second half and never looked back in a 71-65 triumph.

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Watch what Kentucky head coach John Calipari said about Ohio State postgame

Kentucky head coach John Calipari met with the media after his team lost to Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. Watch everything he said.

Ohio State toughed one out against a top-ten Kentucky team and continued to build upon its impressive resume.

Wildcat head coach John Calipari met with the media after his team’s loss to talk about his team, the game, and field questions from reporters. If you know anything about Calipari, he’s a talker, but he’s brutally honest to his players, assistant coaches, and the media.

He had plenty to say after the game, and he was very complimentary and impressed with Ohio State and had no problem heaping praise on the Buckeyes.

If you didn’t catch any of his comments, you can get his entire press conference here thanks to the YouTube Channel of Kentucky Wildcats TV. Just click on the below and listen.

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