Kentucky vs LSU: Game Preview, Picks & Prediction
Stalwarts of the SEC Both Stumbled Recently
It doesn’t get much better than this as the LSU Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats battle in an important early SEC contest.
The Tigers need to bounce back after suffering a poor defeat to Auburn. Meanwhile, the Wildcats team rebounded from a loss at Notre Dane with four consecutive wins.
College basketball odds have the Tigers as -2 favorites in what should be a thrilling contest.
- Game: Kentucky Wildcats (11-2) at LSU Tigers (12-1)
- Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, LA
- Day/Time: Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Kentucky Wildcats vs LSU Tigers
Wildcats Shaky on Road
The Kentucky Wildcats with Oscar Tshiebwe have yet to lose at home in 10 games, but they’re just 1-2 on the road.
Their most recent road effort was a terrible 66-62 loss against the Fighting Irish as a -4½ favorite. If they want to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, they’ll need to learn how to win on the road.
They bounced back with four consecutive wins over the likes of North Carolina and Missouri, but there are serious doubts once they leave the Commonwealth,
LSU is a tough home team, which is why the sportsbook has the Wildcats as underdogs, despite owning a better ranking than the Tigers.
Bettors have had only a fair time backing the Wildcats, who are 7-6 against the spread. Despite owning the 11th-best offense in the country, the Wildcats struggled to cover the spread against Central Michigan, Southern Jaguars and Albany.
Their recent wins should give them confidence, but it might not be enough to improve to 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
Home Cooking for LSU
The LSU Tigers are perfect (8-0) at home, which is why they’re being respected with betting online markets.
Despite losing to Auburn, 70-55, on the road, they should enjoy being back home and that loss should have taught them something.
“I thought we played with tremendous effort,” LSU coach Will Wade told ESPN. “We played our hearts out. We just didn’t play with the discipline and the smarts that we needed. The start was obviously not great again, but we cut it to six in both halves.”
They gave away a big head start to Auburn and were unable to overcome. Starting the game more consistently and avoiding turnovers is key, so the Tigers need to regroup and look at what had them off to a 12-0 start.
LSU is 10-3 ATS, so bettors have had excellent success. The Tigers have covered in only one of their last three games, but prior to that they were ‘automatic’ with four straight covers.
The Tigers manage to win games despite having a poor field-goal percentage. They rank 157th in the country at (44.8%) and an abysmal; 282nd from behind the three point line. If they can improve those statistics, there could be no stopping them.
Bettors have every right to be confident given their record and the betting line is generous.
Tigers to Prowl
We’re confident the LSU Tigers can pounce on the Wildcats and score a statement win at home.
They are a confident team and, despite losing to Auburn, we like their chances of regrouping against their conference rivals.
Given their dominance at home, we expected the Tigers to be around -4 with bookmakers. The -2 makes them one of our best college basketball bets, so include them in selections.
