Kentucky at LSU odds, picks and predictions
The No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats (18-7, 8-4 SEC) take on the LSU Tigers (13-12, 5-7) Wednesday at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Tip is set for 9 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Kentucky vs. LSU odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
UK, No. 17 in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll, is coming off an road upset of then-No. 12, now-No. 14 Auburn Saturday. The Wildcats, who were 9-point underdogs, dumped the Tigers off 70-59 with the Under (165.5) hitting. Senior G Antonio Reeves led Kentucky with 22 points and shot 3-for-6 from distance. It was the Wildcats' 3rd win in 4 games -- each victory by 10+ points.
LSU snapped a 3-game skid with an upset over then-No. 11, now-No. 20 South Carolina Saturday. Entering as 8-point dogs, the Tigers hung on for a 64-63 victory. Senior G Jordan Wright leads the Tigers with 15.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.8 SPG, but he shooting just 38.8% from the floor.
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Kentucky at LSU odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:16 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Kentucky -275 (bet $275 to win $100) | LSU +225 (bet $100 to win $225)
- Against the spread (ATS): Kentucky -6.5 (-105) | LSU +6.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 163.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Kentucky at LSU picks and predictions
Prediction
Kentucky 76, LSU 70
Moneyline
UK has won the last 2 head-to-head meetings and 4 of the last 5. Excluding neutral sites, the Wildcats also a solid 5-2 away from Rupp Arena. LSU might be flying high off its upset of a ranked opponent, but it is tied for 103rd in the nation at 46.0% shooting from the floor and 136th with 7.8 3-point field goals per game, according to NCAA.com. None of those are conducive to putting away opponents like UK, which is 3rd in the country scoring 88.2 PPG.
That said, you can't throw down a -275 price for UK to get it done. So, let's put together a parlay for some better odds.
Reeves is clicking right now, and he's shooting 19-for-40 (47.5%) from 3-point land over his last 7 games. In those 7 games, he has 18+ points in 5 of them, and in 1 of them, he just missed it with 17 points.
Let's take ANTONIO REEVES 18+ POINTS + KENTUCKY -6.5 (+105) for some plus-money paradise.
Against the spread
This spread is a bit too wide for me, and LSU has covered the last 3 matchups against UK. You could hedge here with Tigers +6.5 (-115). They have covered this number in all 3 of those meetings. Alternate spreads weren't available at press time, but I'd consider an alternate LSU +7.5 anywhere under -135. That would be a good hedge point and also give a solid chance to win the parlay and this standalone spread.
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Over/Under
This total is too high, and it's banking on UK's 88.2 PPG average. The problem, though, is the 'Cats have scored 75 and 70 in their last 2 games. They haven't touched 75 in their last 3 against LSU. The Tigers are tied for 77th in pace at 69.6, and as mentioned, they don't shoot the rock very well.
TAKE UNDER 163.5 (-110).
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