In getting the best of the No. 15 Auburn Tigers over the weekend, John Calipari’s 8th ranked Kentucky Wildcats clinched the 49th SEC regular season title for the program. With that, it remains to be seen how the Wildcats take to their home hardwood on Senior Night knowing full well they can’t do anything to improve their seeding for the upcoming SEC tournament. On the other hand, Rick Barnes’ unranked Tennessee Volunteers have much to gain from winning a game like this from not only improving their seeding for next week’s tourney, but also solidifying their resume for the dance which they find themselves currently out of in the most recent Bracketology release. After getting embarrassed at online sportsbooks in the first showdown in Knoxville, I’m of firm belief the Vols show up to Rupp with redemption on the mind.
This SEC tussle is set to tip-off on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 at 9 p.m. ET from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Odds Analysis
Sitting 16-13 SU and 14-14-1 ATS overall as well as 8-8 SU in conference play, Tennessee enters the week knowing full well it must make a solid impression in these final two games of the regular season against Kentucky and Auburn to have any shot of resuscitating their NCAA Tourney hopes. It will however be a tough uphill climb for the Volunteers if they continue to play like they have when away from Thompson-Boling Arena where the teams logged three straight defeats (1-2 ATS) and stands 3-7 SU and 5-5 ATS for the season. Making this spot all the more harrowing is the fact that the Vols have only managed to log one win and three pointspread covers in their last 10 visits to Lexington. On the bright side, its 2-2 ATS its last four on the road with the defeat to Auburn seeing them come up a bucket short of covering the 6-point spread.
Save for the No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks, there might not be another team in the country as locked in as the Kentucky Wildcats currently are. Since dropping a 75-66 decision at Auburn in a game that got away from them in the second half, Nic Richards and company have gone on to tally eight straight wins and covered the closing college basketball odds in all but one of those matchups. The team just avenged that defeat to the Tigers over the weekend by taking Bruce Pearl’s kids out 73-66 to cover the closing number. The Wildcats have been playing a lockdown brand of defense over the last seven games with just one opponent being able to surpass the 70-point threshold. With only a fluke loss to Evansville at home through 17 tries, the Wildcats will be looking to remain undefeated in SEC play as hosts (4-4 ATS).
Key Player
Richards was toting the mail for the Wildcats earlier in the season when the team originally found its bearings. Now that it’s in the midst of a multi-game win streak and on the verge of securing an even higher seed in the Big Dance, it’s Immanuel Quickley that’s put the team on his back and risen to the occasion. If not for logging his second career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 12 rebounds on Saturday, the Wildcats would’ve likely gotten swept by the Auburn Tigers. While he only went on to drain three shots from the field, his excellence from the charity stripe in knocking down all eight attempts allowed for Kentucky to not only pull out the win, but also hook college basketball bettors up that laid the chalk with the home team. His 21.4 points averaged over the last eight games is a main reason why Kentucky is currently firing on all cylinders, and his 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field led the way when the Wildcats logged the 77-64 win and cover as 2.5-point road favs versus Tennessee back on February 8.
Prediction
I was all over Kentucky on Saturday in the revenge bout with Auburn; they hooked me up. Regardless, I don’t want anything to do with them on Super Tuesday with linemakers likely to make Ashton Hagans and company eat an inflated number on the college basketball odds. Add to the mix Tennessee likely packing it’s “A” game with it to Lexington desperately needing a win of this magnitude to bolster its postseason resume, and I’ll be taking as many points possible with the visitors with the belief they put a much better showing in the rematch; especially defensively after allowing Kentucky to shoot 54 percent from the field! With that, also give the under a hard look both for the first half and full game.
College Basketball Pick: Kentucky 69, Tennessee 61
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
