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.

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.

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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.

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.


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)

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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