Indiana Hoosiers vs. Kentucky Wildcats College Basketball prediction, preview (Saturday 7:30pm ET)
The Kentucky Wildcats, who once ranked No. 1 overall on KenPom, sit at 6-4 this season. Hand up, I have not been able to quit them. I took the points at Louisville (so close), backed them against Michigan State (looks dumb now), and got sucked back into the North Carolina game since Kentucky finally had home court. Kentucky lost all three games and I lost all three bets.
Last Friday night, I finally smartened up and bet Gonzaga. The Zags stomped Kentucky by 35 points in Nashville. Now I’m ready to comeback one final time on the Wildcats at Rupp, just to see if this team has any pulse whatsoever. I like the matchup and the spot for Kentucky, with the Saturday night home game against a team they have a significant size and talent advantage over.
Indiana got off to a 7-0 start, but they were favored by double digits in six of those games. Since then, the Hoosiers are just 1-2, with losses to Louisville and Minnesota as a pretty big favorite. IU was an 8.5-point road favorite against the Golden Gophers, losing by nine points in the only true road games the Hoosiers have played in.
The Hoosiers are well coached and good at shooting, which is the best mismatch they present for the Wildcats. Kentucky is a poor shooting team that has issues defending the line. However, facing a deep and talented team with size like Kentucky should present issues for Indiana. IU’s roster, while skilled, is filled with undersized transfers from smaller schools. Kentucky should be able to find its stride defensively and win on the glass, which have been issues thus far.
One last chance Wildcats — don’t let me down! I’ll back Kentucky to rally at Rupp in a battle of the Blue Bloods on Saturday night, in a rowdy atmosphere with Charles Barkley and Dickie V calling the game for ESPN.
