Alabama Vs Kentucky Odds & Picks: Take Wildcats At Rupp Arena

They’re both 14-3 outright, both 9-8 ATS, and both ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll. Right now, there’s very little separating Alabama and Kentucky—although there will be Saturday, when two of the best teams in the nation’s best college basketball conference clash in Rupp Arena. The Wildcats are a 2.5-point home favorite in the noon ET tip.

No question, it’s a heavyweight matchup in the SEC—though some of the shine was rubbed off in Alabama’s home loss to 12-point underdog Ole Miss on Tuesday. That defeat snapped an eight-game win streak for the Crimson Tide, which had covered in five straight. Kentucky has won four of its last five, covering in each victory over that span.

Alabama vs Kentucky Odds Today

Matchup Page: Alabama vs Kentucky, 12:00 PM ET

Odds as of January 17 at Sportsbook

Alabama vs Kentucky Picks Today

Kentucky -2.5 (-115), OVER 178.5 (-115) at Sportsbook

Alabama has the top scoring offense in the nation, averaging 89.5 points per game—which made Tuesday’s 74-64 loss such a head-scratcher. Ole Miss exposed two of Alabama’s greatest weaknesses, shooting percentage and turnovers, and the result was the Crimson Tide’s lowest-scoring game this season. Star guard Mark Sears was held to 25 percent shooting, the Tide hit only 5 of 20 attempts from 3, and 21 turnovers limited Alabama to just 47 shots from the field.

Do that in Rupp Arena, and you’ll get run out of the joint. The transfer-laden lineup cobbled together by first-year Wildcats coach Mark Pope ranks third nationally in scoring (88.7 ppg), and its field goal percentage ranks fourth in the SEC. Kentucky has been particularly potent at home, where it’s averaging 95 points per game and has eclipsed the century mark five times. And this is a very deep squad, with nine players averaging double-digit minutes and five in double-digit points. 

Only Oregon and Auburn have more Quad 1 wins in the NCAA’s NET rankings than Kentucky’s six, which include non-conference victories over Duke and Gonzaga. Sure, away from home, the Wildcats can occasionally slip up—as they did Jan. 7 in a loss at 1.5-point underdog Georgia. But they won’t be away from home Saturday. They also have the more consistent offense and are less turnover-prone, making Kentucky the natural play in Rupp Arena.

Despite their high-powered offenses, the OVER has been no sure thing for Alabama or Kentucky—both teams eclipse the total only around 50 percent of the time, according to data at TeamRankings.com. But put them together? The last time we saw two offenses like this clash at Rupp Arena, Kentucky and Florida put up 206 combined points. 

Alabama vs Kentucky News

Crimson Tide freshman forward Derrion Reid continues to be in and out of the lineup due to injury issues. Reid, who has battled a foot injury that left him in a walking boot earlier this season, was unavailable for Alabama’s game Tuesday against Ole Miss, the Tuscaloosa News reported. The Tide are also without starting guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who will miss the season with an Achilles tendon injury. 

Alabama vs Kentucky Betting Trends