The No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats will meet the No. 14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in the South Region. Here’s a look at both teams ahead of the contest, along with odds for the game.
Kentucky Wildcats
NET: 19
KenPom Overall: 18
KenPom O: 5
KenPom D: 106
Record: 23-9
Strength of Schedule: 66
Conference: SEC
Conference Record: 13-5
Quad 1 Record: 6-7
The Kentucky Wildcats return to the NCAA Tournament after a very strong performance in the SEC this season. Kentucky has been in a bit of a postseason drought by Kentucky standards – they haven’t reached a Sweet Sixteen since 2019, and their most recent Final Four appearance came in 2015. Their offense was hot, hot, hot this season, leading the nation in three-point percentage as they went 41.2% from the perimeter. Antonio Reeves leads the team with 20.2 points per game.
This starting lineup doesn’t have much experience in postseason play, with three of the Wildcats’ five starters being true freshmen. However, they have plenty of energy and talent at their disposal – the team ranks second in the nation in points scored per game with 89.5 on average, and ranks fifth in the nation in possessions per game.
Oakland Golden Grizzlies
NET: 126
KenPom Overall: 137
KenPom O: 135
KenPom D: 166
Record: 23-11
Strength of Schedule: 198
Conference: Horizon
Conference Record: 15-5
Quad 1 Record: 1-5
Oakland will step into the NCAA Tournament after a stellar season under longtime head coach Greg Kampe. The Grizzlies excelled throughout the campaign and ended up beating out Youngstown State for the Horizon League regular season title. Then they did what was expected of them as the No. 1 seed in the conference tourney, taking down Milwaukee in the Horizon League title game to earn its first trip to the Big Dance since 2011.
2024 March Madness: Kentucky vs. Oakland odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Kentucky -13.5, Oakland +13.5
Over/Under: 160.5
Moneyline: Kentucky -800, Oakland +550