College Basketball Predictions: Can South Carolina upset Kentucky?
Can No. 18 Kentucky avoid a letdown performance when it goes on the road to face South Carolina tonight at 9PM ET? Here’s our College Basketball Predictions for this SEC contest.
ODDS
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Kentucky is the slim favorite on the road, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -1.5 points against South Carolina. The over/under total for the game is listed at 141 points. Tonight’s game takes place from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina and will air live on ESPN.
KENTUCKY
Kentucky is coming off a 74-67 win at Vanderbilt this past weekend for its fifth win in six games. The Wildcats are 14-3 overall, 4-1 in the SEC and 8-9 against the spread. UK is averaging 78.3 points per game on offense while allowing 69.6 per contest on defense. Kevin Knox is leading the Wildcats with 14.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Hamidou Diallo is adding 13.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina is coming off a 64-57 win at Georgia this weekend. The Gamecocks are now 11-6 overall, 2-3 in the SEC and 7-8-1 against the spread. South Carolina is putting up 70.7 points per game on offense while giving up 66.4 per contest. Chris Silva is leading South Carolina this season with 14.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while Frank Booker is adding 10.9 points per contest.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREDICTIONS
Kentucky has won four straight meetings with South Carolina, covering the spread in all four games. Frank Martin should have his team ready to play, but I don’t see the Gamecocks having the offensive weapons to get past the Wildcats tonight. In SEC play, SC is averaging just 66.8 points per game. That’s just not enough to get the job done against Kentucky tonight. The public betting is strongly with the Wildcats and I will take them as a small favorite today.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREDICTIONS: KENTUCKY -1.5