Last weekend, the Ohio State Buckeyes had a chance to make a statement on national television, only to ultimately get blown away by Connecticut. They're going to have yet another stab this weekend, but the task is going to be even tougher against the Kentucky Wildcats at the Barclays Center.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
HOW THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
It didn’t take a genius to know what John Calipari was going to say after the Wildcats lost at the start of December to UCLA.
Defense.
When the Wildcats have been at their best in recent years, they've been committed to playing on the less glamorous side of the court. They've played two really good defensive games against Eastern Kentucky and Arizona State, holding both teams under 40 percent shooting from the field.
That's how this game is going to be won and covered. The Buckeyes have proven they can put up big stinkers offensively and get frustrated, and it's going to be up to the Wildcats to force that once again.
Calipari has long preached that the offensive numbers will come when the defense is at its best, and that would be the case again in this game. Skal Labissiere, Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee should all have really good games on the inside against an undersized OSU front line, and if they're on point, this game probably won't be all that close.
HOW THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
For one, Ohio State has to be a heck of a lot better against Kentucky than it was against Connecticut. JaQuan Lyle didn't even score a single point, Trevor Thompson didn't take one shot, and on the other side of the court, the Huskies shot 60.4 percent from the field.
If you want to look at the recipe for exactly how to get blown out by Kentucky, that's the script.
So how does that script get flipped? The biggest thing we see about the Buckeyes is aggression. We know they have the ability to really bring it to the competition, yet they only shot 12 free throws against the Huskies. That won't cut it in this spot.
If OSU isn't going to get to the line at least 20 times in this game, this will probably end up being another romp.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It's tough to imagine that the Buckeyes just aren't that good this year, but that really looks to be the case. They don't have that alpha player like they had with D'Angelo Russell, and Marc Loving doesn't cut it as a superstar in games like these.
Kentucky might be blemished, but it’s still one of the deepest basketball teams in America. We mentioned all of the elite forwards and centers, but we didn't take the time to recognize just how awesome Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe and Tyler Ulis are.
Ulis in particular, is a great player to have in moments like these, knowing that he's used to playing in these big games and making the plays that need to be made on both sides of the court to win.
It might not be quite as ugly as the game was in Storrs last weekend, but we still think that Kentucky is going to blow the Buckeyes out.
Kentucky 72, Ohio State 57
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker's new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes will start at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 19, 2015 at the Barclays Center. The game will be televised nationally on CBS.
