Rather than have the Big 12/SEC Challenge take place prior to the start of conference play, the two conferences have done something against the grain. Seeing the success that mid-majors have with Bracketbusters, the Big 12 and SEC decided to move the showdown between the two conferences to the last week of January. It has now been parked here for three years, and the interest has been much higher than it was back when this was taking place in November or December.
Possibly the most anticipated game of this year’s Big 12/SEC Challenge is the tilt between the Kentucky Wildcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers. These were two of the highest ranked teams in the country during preseason, but both have been a little underwhelming in the regular season. Still, the winner here will get a very nice non-conference victory that will help its resume.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, January 27, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. The game will be televised live on ESPN. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kentucky finally had a good performance in conference play on Tuesday night against Mississippi State. The Wildcats needed to do something after struggling mightily during the early part of SEC play. This was the team’s first double-digit win over a conference foe and moved them to 9-11 ATS overall this year.
This team has had a hard time putting points on the board on the road. Three of Kentucky’s four road games have finished under the total this season, with the Wildcats averaging just a hair over 70 PPG in those tilts.
West Virginia is asking for country roads to take them home after another disappointing road performance against TCU. The Mountaineers were short favorites on the road against the Horned Frogs, but ended up losing by nine. This team is now 8-8 ATS on the year.
Although that game finished over the total, under has been the better play in WVU games as of late. The under has cashed in five of the Mountaineers last seven.
Matchup to Watch
One of the big questions coming into this game is whether or not Kentucky can hang with West Virginia on the glass. The Mountaineers are one of the most physical teams in the country, and the Wildcats have not really imposed their will in the paint. West Virginia is constantly bringing guys to the basket and crashing the boards, and Kentucky will need to match that intensity.
Although Kentucky’s rebounding numbers are only slightly worse than West Virginia’s, keep in mind that the Mountaineers have played a much tougher schedule. The Big 12 is significantly better than the SEC this year, and Kentucky has had trouble rebounding against smaller conference foes.
Key Stat
Neither one of these teams can shoot the three. Kentucky has been good in transition and can reliably score when it is focusing on its interior game. However, when it comes to connecting from downtown, the accuracy just hasn’t been there. The Wildcats are hitting just 34.4 percent of their threes on the year.
It’s even worse for the Mountaineers. West Virginia is just struggling all around when it comes to getting off good shots. This team is hitting a scant 33.1 percent of its threes on the year, and the numbers would be worse if not for Jevon Carter and James Bolden keeping them somewhat respectable.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Morgantown is a tough place to play and Kentucky has had its fair share of problems on the road this season. A lot of the Wildcats scoring happens in transition, and West Virginia typically does a very good job at stopping that. As a result, this will be an ugly, low-scoring game where the rebounding battle turns the tide.
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia 67, Kentucky 63
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