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.
Get some action on this college basketball matchup or others by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
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.
Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @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.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=11866]
