Indiana Hoosiers vs Kentucky Wildcats NCAA Tournament Betting Preview & Odds
NCAA Tournament 2nd round action on Saturday and we will see the Indiana Hoosiers take on the Kentucky Wildcats in a dream matchup for a 2nd round game, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. CBS will carry this game, which has a start time of 5:15 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Wildcats listed as 4 point favorites, while the total has been set at 155.
The Indiana Hoosiers came into the tournament as the Big 10’s regular season champs and they showed just how good they are with a 25 point destruction of Tenn-Chattanooga in their first round game. The Mocs were a team that some felt would give the Hoosiers a tough time, but that was just not the case. The Hoosiers are now 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a #5 seed, but we also note that #5 seeds in this round are 0-6 ATS as dogs the last 5 years. The Hoosiers have 6 players that average at least 6.8 ppg and leading the charge for them is Yogi Ferrell, who averages 17.1 ppg on the year and had 20 in the win over Chattanooga. Troy Williams had 12 points and 8 boards in that game and is 2nd on the team at 13.0 ppg, while he leads the team in rebounding at 6.0 rpg. Rounding out the double digit scorers on the team is Thomas Bryan, who averages 11.6 ppg. Indiana is a very good offensive team that checks in ranked 10th in the nation in scoring, putting up 82.8 ppg, while also ranking 2nd in shooting overall, 5th from long range and 72nd at the charity stripe. At the defensive end of the floor they have been decent as they come in ranked 105th in the nation in points allowed, allowing 69.1 ppg, while also ranking 223rd in defensive FG% overall and 138th in 3-pt defense. The Hoosiers are 102nd in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 13,5 turnovers per game (259th) and force 13.1 turnovers per game (127th).
The Kentucky Wildcats have been a mystery team this year as they have looked very good at time and then have thrown in clunkers at other times, especially away from home where they are just 10-8 SU & 9-9 ATS on the year. Very mediocre for this team. Kentucky had an easy time in their opening round matchup vs Stony Brook, winning that game by 28 points. Kentucky is still just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games vs non-conference teams this year and 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 NCAA Tournament games, but they are also 8-2 ATS their last 10 games as a #4 seed or higher and we note that the favorite is 12-2 ATS the last 14 in this series. The Cats are led by freshman Jamal Murray, who averages 20.1 ppg and led the team with 19 points vs Stony Brook. Tyler Ulis (17.0 ppg) and Alex Poythress (10.4 ppg) also average in double figures for Kentucky. The Wildcats have been a very good offensive team as they come in ranked 27th in scoring, putting up 79.8 ppg, while also ranking 21st in shooting overall and 71st from long range, but they struggle at the stripe where they are 216th. The defense has been very solid this year and come is ranked 78th in points allowed, giving up just 67.9 ppg, while also ranking 18th in defensive FG% overall and 82nd in 3-point defense. Kentucky is 46th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 11.0 turnovers per game (40th) and force 12.1 turnovers per game (212th).
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