Kentucky is one of the most talented teams in the country and should be able to run past an Auburn team which lost by 25 points to the only ranked opponent on its schedule. The Wildcats will look to keep moving up the rankings and solidify their position as a top seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with another win.
At 4 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Saturday, January 14, 2017, at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kentucky is 14-2 straight up and 11-5 against the spread. The Wildcats have played in nine home games this season and have done an impressive job, covering in seven of them. Kentucky has been favored in every game this season and that won’t change here.
Auburn is 10-5 straight up and 7-6 against the spread. The Tigers have played in three road games and have covered in two of them. Auburn has gone 4-2 against the spread as the underdog this season.
Key Stat
94.2. That’s how many points per game this Kentucky offense is averaging on the season. The team ranks No. 2 in the nation for points per game behind a collection of extremely talented players who will push the ball at any given opportunity.
The Wildcats have been red hot lately, too, averaging 95.8 points per game in the team’s last four wins which includes scoring 99 against Ole Miss on December 29th and 100 points against Texas A&M on January 3rd.
Auburn’s defense is allowing 75.2 points per game this season, but has struggled lately. In the last four games, the Tigers have allowed 84 points per game, although that includes only 72 to Missouri in a five-point win last time out.
Player to Watch
Malik Monk – The freshman guard is averaging 21.9 points a game this season, shooting 51 percent from the field. Monk had 18 points in Kentucky’s 87-81 win over Vanderbilt on January 10th.
Monk put up a career-high 47 points in Kentucky’s 103-100 win over North Carolina on December 17th. He also hit the game-winning three-pointer in the victory over the Tar Heels, capturing the best single-game performance by any freshman the Wildcats’ history.
Mon also scored 34 against Ole Miss on December 29th. He has scored 20-plus points in nine games this season and will look for another strong performance against Auburn this weekend. The Wildcats are chocked full of impressive players but it is led by the star freshman Monk.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Kentucky enters this game winners of four straight as it has quickly ascended to the top of the conference. The Wildcats were always heavy favorites to win it and while they may have some tough games later on against Florida and South Carolina, this one doesn’t figure to be too much of an obstacle.
Auburn would be thrilled to pick up a gargantuan upset and it would do wonders for its NCAA men’s basketball tournament chances, but the idea seems to be too far-fetched. Kentucky is a dominant team playing at home against an inferior opponent.
The Wildcats will push the ball at will and should be able to cruise to the win in this one. Check the spread in this one as the Tigers are going to get plenty of points as the underdog as they aim for the cover even while an outright win is severely unlikely.
College Basketball Odds: Kentucky 95, Auburn 72
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