The Vanderbilt Commodores take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Our college basketball odds series has our Vanderbilt Kentucky prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Vanderbilt Kentucky.
The Kentucky Wildcats have had a wild and crazy season, but it is going in the right direction at the right time of year. Recall the 2014 season in which Kentucky suffered a terrible loss to South Carolina and appeared dead in terms of being a meaningful threat to make the Final Four. The Wildcats perked up just before the NCAA Tournament and caught fire. They rode the wave at just the right time and went all the way to the national championship game before losing to Connecticut. Could this team pull off something similar?
A few weeks ago, Kentucky lost at Georgia, and the Wildcats — who had previously fallen at home to South Carolina — were legitimately on the bubble. Their NCAA Tournament odds were up in the air and no one knew which way the season was going to break. Kentucky then hammered Tennessee at home to move in the right direction. The Wildcats used that game as a springboard and have not lost since. They crushed Auburn this past Saturday and are steadily rising, possibly as high as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they can win this game and then beat Arkansas on the road on Saturday. Kentucky went from being a bubble team to the mid-level NCAA Tournament seed no top seed wants to see in the second round. John Calipari has made some memorable escapes in the past, and this is a new entry into the record. If Calipari can get this team to the Final Four, the year will take on legendary status in Lexington. Kentucky hasn't been to the Final Four since 2015, so if UK can make another huge run, the 2023 Wildcats will attain a special place in Big Blue basketball lore.
Kentucky lost to Michigan State, Gonzaga, and UCLA in nonconference play, but that has all been forgotten in the midst of this late-season winning streak.
Here are the Vanderbilt-Kentucky college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Vanderbilt-Kentucky Odds
Vanderbilt Commodores: +9.5 (-105)
Kentucky Wildcats: -9.5 (-115)
Over: 145.5 (-110)
Under: 145.5 (-110)
How To Watch Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky
TV: SEC Network
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Vanderbilt-Kentucky LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Vanderbilt Could Cover The Spread
The Kentucky Wildcats have been a really good team the past few weeks, but that doesn't mean their weaknesses can't or won't resurface at any point. Kentucky still doesn't have great shooters. It doesn't have that elite point guard which makes such a huge difference in March. Kentucky still has some roster flaws, and a Vanderbilt team which had a winning month of February and has clearly improved compared to where it was in early January can put together a strong perimeter game in which it dominates the Wildcats in 3-point shooting and other parts of the game which aren't related to rim protection or paint scoring. Vanderbilt can do things in this matchup which other Kentucky opponents can't.
Why Kentucky Could Cover The Spread
Kentucky is now playing the brand of ball which its fans were expecting all season long. The Wildcats now look like a dangerous team instead of the incompetent and impotent team they were for much of the season. Crucially, big man Oscar Tshiebwe is playing his best ball. He looks much more like the player of the year he was in 2022. He claims to have figured out how to play — being more patient, using better footwork, regaining his confidence and his understanding of how to attack opponents. That has unleashed the best of Kentucky basketball.
Final Vanderbilt-Kentucky Prediction & Pick
It is tempting to go with Vanderbilt, but Kentucky has steadily shown that it has snapped into form and found the winning formula which had proved to be elusive in previous months. Go with Kentucky.
Final Vanderbilt-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: Kentucky -9.5
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