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Charlie Grant
Wildcats (5) vs. Wildcats (9) Odds: March Madness Sweet 16 Prediction
Few college basketball fans would have predicted Kentucky would be in the Sweet 16 let alone the high seed remaining in its regional semifinals.
NCAA Tournament Odds and Betting Analysis
Kentucky improved to 9-1 straight up and against the spread in its last 10 games. UK’s offense is kicking into gear over the last month or so as well. The ‘Cats averaged 70.5 points per game in their first 14 conference games but are scoring 83.1 points over their last 10 contests. The over is 9-1 during the stretch. Kentucky is 26-10 SU and 19-17 ATS on the season and the over is 22-13 in its 35-lined games.
Kansas State topped Creighton and UMBC to get to the Sweet 16. The team is one of four Big 12 programs still dancing in the second weekend of the tournament. The Wildcats are 24-11 SU and 15-17 ATS on the campaign with an 11-20 over/under record. The under is 10-4-1 in their last 15 games.
Kentucky is the favorite on the Sports Interaction futures board to win the South Region at -303 with Kansas State the next fave at +450. K-State is the second biggest longshot on the board to win the national championship at +6500 while UK is the third top favorite at +500 behind Duke and Villanova.
About 72 percent of Sports Interaction customers are backing Kentucky to cover as 5.5-point chalk against Kansas State and 67 percent expect the game to go over the 138.5 over/under betting line.
Kansas State Wildcats
Head coach Bruce Weber is hoping to have his best player, Dean Wade, back on the hardwood for the first time since the team’s opening game in the Big 12 tournament. The 6-foot-10 junior forward is averaging team-highs 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Kentucky Wildcats
Big Blue should have an advantage in the paint against Kansas State. Kentucky’s rotation is filled with athletic bigs who excel at protecting the rim. UK average 4.8 blocks per game (30th in the country) and carry a +5.0 rebounding margin into Thursday’s game.
