The Kentucky Wildcats’ youth has been apparent this season, as they have been up and down for much of the year. They have put together some nice displays lately and aim to keep it rolling in an SEC game this week against the Missouri Tigers.
Kentucky has been buoyed by a recent road win over top-10 foe West Virginia which helped get it back into the top-25 rankings. The Wildcats survived a close one against Vanderbilt on Tuesday to keep their recent winning streak alive. They come into this matchup having won three straight and with a conference record of 6-3.
The Tigers are headed the opposite direction, losers of four of their past five, and could really use a win in this game as they seem to be on the NCAA men’s tournament bubble. Missouri is at home and thus could be a slight favorite. This game seems like a legitimate toss-up that could go either way.
At 2 p.m. ET, tune into CBS for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Saturday, February 3, 2018, at Mizzou Arena.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Kentucky is 17-5 straight up and 10-12 against the spread. The Wildcats have covered in three of five road games on the season. Kentucky has only been the underdog three times on the year and has covered in two of them. It’s possible the Wildcats are slight favorites in this game, depending on how the oddsmakers believe they match up.
Missouri is 13-8 straight up and has covered in half of its 20 games with a spread. The Tigers are 5-5 against the spread at home and have gone 7-7 against the spread as the favorite.
Lookahead Situation
Kentucky has some key games coming up, facing off against ranked opponents Auburn and Tennessee within their next four contests. The Wildcats are currently tied with the Volunteers for second place in the conference, both of whom are trailing Auburn.
Kentucky still has a chance to win the regular season conference crown, and those two games will be huge in determining that. However, the Wildcats can’t afford to look ahead as they hit the road in this one.
If Kentucky isn’t attuned mentally, it could be a disappointing trip. The Wildcats do not have the same type of dominant team that they have shown in years past and must give Missouri proper respect even though the Tigers have not been very good in conference action.
Missouri will assuredly be ready for this matchup since they are hosting a ranked opponent with a storied traditiion.
Player To Watch
Kevin Knox — Kentucky’s freshman forward comes into this matchup on a hot streak. He has scored 71 points and brought down 21 rebounds in the last three games for the Wildcats.
In that span, Knox has shot 58 percent from the field and 61 percent from behind-the-arc, totalling 11 three-pointers in the last three games. Knox is the team’s leading scorer this season, averaging 15.6 points and 5.8 rebounds on the year.
He had 34 points and seven rebounds in his team’s 83-76 road win over No. 7 West Virginia on January 27th. The performance marked a career-high for Knox in scoring and was also the most points ever scored by a Kentucky freshman in a non-conference road game.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
While Kentucky has the name cachet, Missouri is better than it has shown of late. The home court advantage is huge and it should be enough to propel the Tigers to a very tight win.
Missouri is desperate for victories and should be able to grab on in this game. But keep an eye on the spread, because even a handful of points given to Kentucky could be enough to result in a cover.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Missouri 81, Kentucky 79
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