The Kentucky Wildcats escaped a first-round scare from Princeton, while the West Virginia Mountaineers advanced with a win over Clemson.
The teams clash at St. Petes Times Forum in the East Region, with a spot in the Round of 16 at stake.
The Wildcats are 3.5-point favorites at shops such as Sportsbook while the total was at 131.5. Kentucky is bigger and quicker and seems a good bet to win here.
View West Virginia vs Kentucky Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
If you're going with the Wildcats in this one, they're listed as 3.5-point favorites on the NCAAB betting menu for Monday's contest.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Wildcats sit at No. 4 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Mountaineers sit at No. 14 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Wildcats will win this game 81-74.
How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Mountaineers is ranked No. 57 in NCAA hoops at 37.4 per game. Contrast that with Kentucky’s No. 42 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Kentucky is the No. 76-ranked team in the country at 7.3 per game, while West Virginia rates No. 169 at 6.2 per game.
Defensively, West Virginia features the nation's No. 32-rated defense on the road, allowing 64.3 points per game. Kentucky, meanwhile, comes in at No. 43 nationally in scoring at home.
West Virginia was an 84-76 Sportsbook in its last match against Clemson. They covered the 2–point spread as favorites.
In their last action, Kentucky was a 59-57 Sportsbook against Princeton. They failed to cover the 12.5–point spread as favorites.
West Virginia Mountaineers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
After a win are 4-6
Kentucky Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
After a win are 7-3
A few Mountaineers at Wildcats trends to consider:
Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
