Having covered against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament last season, the Kentucky Wildcats will be trying to beat them once again when the teams meet at the Rupp Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Kentucky topped Baylor 82-70 in the Elite Eight of last year's NCAA Tournament en route to winning the championship, covering a 7.5-point spread on the college basketball betting lines at the sportsbooks. That was an OVER result for totals bettors.

The Wildcats currently sports a 4-2 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 0-4 ATS. The Bears are 4-2 and 1-3 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Wildcats produce a 2-1 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Bears have gone 2-1 against the number.



View Baylor vs Kentucky Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 7.5-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked at Odds Shark, including Sportsbook. The total was set to open a bit later (check out Sportsbook for the latest situation(.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Wildcats at No. 89 and the Bears at No. 83 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 86-85 result in favor of the Bears.



How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Bears is ranked No. 59 in NCAA hoops at 39.5 per game. Contrast that with Kentucky’s No. 224 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Kentucky is the No. 212-ranked team in the country at 5.7 per game, while Baylor rates No. 142 at 6.5 per game.

Defensively, Baylor features the nation's No. 234-rated defense on the road, allowing 74 points per game. Kentucky, meanwhile, comes in at No. 14 nationally in scoring at home.

Baylor was a 63-59 loser in their most recent outing at home against College of Charleston. They failed to cover the 17-point spread as favorites. Baylor suffered a 63-59 loss against College of Charleston on Saturday, getting 21 points from Pierre Jackson in a losing effort at Ferrell Center.

Kentucky lost its last outing, a 64-50 result against Notre Dame on November 29. They failed to cover in that game as a 1.5-point underdog. The Wildcats endured a 64-50 loss at the hands of the Fighting Irish on Thursday, despite a 16-point effort from Julius Mays at Joyce Center.


Baylor Bears Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Northwestern are 1-0
After a loss are 6-4

Kentucky Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 8-2
Before playing Samford are 1-0
After playing Notre Dame are 6-0
After a loss are 9-1

A few Bears at Wildcats trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baylor's last 5 games on the road
Baylor is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Baylor is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Kentucky is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games


Next up:
Baylor home to Northwestern, Tuesday, December 4
Kentucky home to Samford, Tuesday, December 4