The Kentucky Wildcats lost their first game of the season recently to UCLA to drop from the top perch in the national rankings, and will now make their march back up. They should pick up an easy win against the Hofstra Pride, as the Wildcats have an overwhelming amount of talent which Hofstra will struggle to compete against.
Kentucky looks like a national championship contender despite the recent blip and hopes to play well enough to grab a No. 1 overall seed in March Madness. This should be another win to add to its total, and the Pride’s only hope will be to cover the spread once it is released prior to the matchup.
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Kentucky is 8-1 straight up and has also done a good job against the spread despite often being the favorite, covering in seven of nine attempts. The Wildcats will be playing on a neutral court in the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival, but their fans travel well and could give the team an edge in that category even though it really won’t be needed.
Hofstra is 6-4 this season and has covered in four of its five matchups in which there has been a spread. The Pride will certainly get a boatload of points as this one is not expected to finish within a single-digit margin.
Key Stat
94.2. That’s the points per game average for Kentucky this season, which isn’t much of a surprise considering the amount of talented players on the roster. The Wildcats like to push the tempo and add possessions to the game, which is the right strategy as the more points that are scored the more it benefits the better team.
Kentucky is led in scoring by Malik Monk, who is averaging 19.3 points per game and is adding 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Isaiah Briscoe is another key player as he is putting up 16.3 points, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Edrice Adebayo is Kentucky’s top post player with averages of 12.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
Kentucky doesn’t have a lot of experience since so many of its players go to the NBA after one year, but once again a sparkling recruiting class has brought in reinforcements. The youth could be a problem against comparable teams but Hofstra does not have the firepower to compete.
Player to Watch
Eli Pemberton - Hofstra’s best chance at covering is if its impressive freshman guard can have a good game. Pemberton is averaging 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
He has been a really good shooter thus far, hitting 51.2 percent of his shots from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line. Kentucky’s athleticism won’t make it easy for him to get shots off, but if Pemberton can find the range from deep it could give the Pride a shot at finishing below the point spread.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Kentucky’s loss to UCLA was a reminder that this team can be beaten, but the opponents with that capability are few and far between.
Hofstra can play well and still lose because the talent gulf is just too wide. The Wildcats are expected to advance far into March Madness because of their collection of talent, and it should be on display in this one.
Kentucky should be able to jump out to an early lead and cruise to the victory against the Pride.
College Basketball Odds: Kentucky 101, Hofstra 74
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