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College Basketball Betting Prediction: Kentucky vs. West Virginia

College Basketball Betting Prediction: Kentucky vs. West Virginia

Written by on January 26, 2018

NCAA Basketball Betting News
In College Basketball, most major schools go through a couple of rough years at some point. After all, it is tough to constantly fill the gaps left by kids moving on to the NBA draft, many of whom end up going the route of one and done. The biggest programs in NCAAB generally do a good job of recruiting new talent and staying good year after year, but there always seems to come a time when their luck runs out. While we may yet be proven wrong, this is proving to be the season where the Kentucky Wildcats finally hit the wall, just as the College Basketball betting odds are indicating week after week. They are not playing particularly well at the moment and have slipped out of the top 25 for the first time since 2014. Sure, they still have a record that a lot of schools would die for, but they are not doing enough to meet their own very high standards. Things could get even worse for the Wildcats this weekend, as they have a very tough trip to West Virginia to face the Mountaineers to contend with on Saturday night.

Wildcats vs. Mountaineers College Basketball Betting Prediction

  • When: Saturday, January 27 at 7 PM EST
  • Where: WVU Coliseum, Morgantown
  • TV: ESPN
  • Radio: 1110 AM (Kentucky) / 105.9 FM (West Virginia)
  • Live Stream: Watch ESPN
  • College Basketball Betting Odds: TBA

Team Records

  • All: Kentucky Wildcats 15-5 / West Virginia Mountaineers 16-4
  • Home: Kentucky Wildcats 13-2 / West Virginia Mountaineers 12-2
  • Away: Kentucky Wildcats 2-3 / West Virginia Mountaineers 4-2
  • ATS: Kentucky Wildcats 9-11 / West Virginia Mountaineers 8-8
  • Over/Under: Kentucky Wildcats 10-10 / West Virginia Mountaineers 7-9

Recent Head to Head (Last 5 Games)

  • Record: Kentucky Wildcats lead 4-1
  • Score: Kentucky Wildcats 69.80 / West Virginia Mountaineers 56.80
  • Field Goal Percentage: Kentucky Wildcats 44.44 / West Virginia Mountaineers 35.34
  • Rebounds: Kentucky Wildcats 38.60 / West Virginia Mountaineers 30.00
  • Three-Point Shots: Kentucky Wildcats 27-96 / West Virginia Mountaineers 32-112
  • Steals: Kentucky Wildcats 4.40 / West Virginia Mountaineers 5.00

Why bet on the Kentucky Wildcats?

We are so used to seeing Kentucky be dominant in the SEC that it is a little jarring to see them sitting in third place in conference play right now. Their 15-5 overall record is still respectable enough, especially with a couple of those losses coming to ranked teams, but it’s still very odd to see the Wildcats coming into a game in late January without some sort of ranking beside their name. Kentucky is trying to pull out of a slump that saw them lose 2 of their last 3 games, but they will need to be better at both ends of the court if they are to get anything out of this one. The Wildcats are outside the top 100 in scoring with just 77.1 PPG, and are in a similar spot defensively, giving up an average of 69.6 PPG. Those are just not the type of numbers you expect from a team with national championship aspirations. Kentucky is just 9-11 ATS and 10-9 O/U this season.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 77.05
  • Field Goal Percentage: 47.87
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.39
  • Free Throw Percentage: 68.33
  • Total Rebounds: 38.80
Defense
  • Total Score: 69.55
  • Field Goal Percentage: 40.28
  • Three-Point Percentage: 27.85
  • Free Throw Percentage: 67.83
  • Total Rebounds: 33.75

Why bet on the West Virginia Mountaineers?

The West Virginia Mountaineers were sitting with a #2 ranking a couple of weeks ago, but started this week at #7, and are likely to drop again after losing to TCU this week. The Mountaineers have now lost 3 of their last 4, and while two of those losses were at the hands of ranked opponents, it may well be a sign of bigger issues in Morgantown. Despite playing at home, the Mountaineers shouldn't be your College Basketball Betting Pick. While Kentucky may not be as good as well all expected this year, they are still a very big school, and a win for West Virginia on Saturday night might just be enough to get them back on track. The Mountaineers are posting respectable enough numbers at both ends of the court, scoring 81.1 PPG and giving up 65.8 PPG, which suggests that their current issues may be nothing more than a minor hiccup. West Virginia is 8-8 ATS and 7-9 O/U this season.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 81.05
  • Field Goal Percentage: 42.48
  • Three-Point Percentage: 33.15
  • Free Throw Percentage: 75.41
  • Total Rebounds: 39.85
Defense
  • Total Score: 65.75
  • Field Goal Percentage: 40.25
  • Three-Point Percentage: 34.31
  • Free Throw Percentage: 70.45
  • Total Rebounds: 35.10

Latest College Basketball Betting Trends

  • Kentucky is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Kentucky is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kentucky’s last 7 games
  • West Virginia is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
  • West Virginia is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of West Virginia’s last 6 games

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

These are two teams in desperate need of a win right now, and while the common sense pick might well be the Mountaineers at home, I am going the other way and taking the Wildcats to win on the road. Score: Kentucky Wildcats 72 – West Virginia Mountaineers 68
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