Georgia looks to stay hot in SEC play as they face Kentucky. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Georgia-Kentucky prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Georgia enters the game sitting at 13-4 on the year, while also 3-1 in SEC play. After beating Missouri and Arkansas in SEC play, they faced fifth-ranked Tennessee. Georgia was down in the first half but would take the lead in the second half. They would hold that lead until just under four minutes left in the game. There, Georgia stopped scoring, while Tennessee scored plenty, and they would win 85-79. They would rebound last game though, taking out South Carolina on the road 74-69.
Meanwhile, Kentucky is 13-3 on the year, but 3-1 in conference play. They beat Florida and Missouri in the first two SEC games but would stumble against Texas A&M. Kentucky was down most of the first half. It would be a back-and-forth game late, and a free throw tied the game up with no time left on the clock. This would lead to overtime, but Texas A&M would control that, winning 97-92. They would rebound last time out though, beating Mississippi State 90-77.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Georgia-Kentucky Odds
Georgia: +10.5 (-118)
Moneyline: +400
Kentucky: -10.5 (-104)
Moneyline: -550
Over: 158.5 (-115)
Under: 158.5 (-105)
How to Watch Georgia vs. Kentucky
Time: 6:00 PM ET/ 3:00 PM PT
TV: SEC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Georgia Will Cover The Spread/Win
Georgia is 69th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings, sitting 107th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and 43rd in adjusted defensive efficiency. Georgia is 103rd in points per game this year while sitting 223rd in effective field goal percentage. This is led by Noah Thomasson and Jabri Abdur-Rahim. Abdur-Rahim comes in with 12.8 points per game, but he is shooting just 38.1 percent from the field. Thomasson comes in with 12.4 points per game this year and is shooting well, shooting 43.6 percent this year Meanwhile, the top man in moving the ball is Justin Hill. Hill comes in with 3.4 assists per game while averaging 9.5 points per game this year.
Georgia is fair on the rebounding game, sitting 65th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. Russel Tchewa leads the way here with 6.2 rebounds per game this year. Still, there are not any heavy rebounders. RJ Melendez and Silas Demary Jr. are the next best on the team. Demary comes in with 4.8 rebounds per game while Melendez has 4.6 per game.
The defense ranks 11th in opponent points per game this year but still sits 28th in opponent effective field goal percentage. The Bulldogs do not have a major presence inside. Russel Tchewa is the leader in blocks this year but has just .6 blocks per game this year. Further, Melendez and Demary Jr are the only players who have over one steal per game this year.
Why Kentucky Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kentucky ranks 16th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are ranked fourth on offensive efficiency, but sit 60th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Kentucky is first in the nation in points per game this year. They are fourth in assists-to-turnover ratio while sitting sixth in effective field goal percentage. Antonio Reeves has led the way on offense. He has 19.4 points per game this year while shooting well. Reeves is shooting 51.7 percent from the field this year. He is one of five players scoring over ten points per game while shooting over 44 percent this year. The top shooting percentage belongs to Reed Sheppard. He is shooting 55.6 percent from the field while averaging 11.8 points per game.
The rebounding for Kentucky has been solid. They are 53rd in the nation in rebounds per game, but they are 14th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game. Tre Mitchell has been solid here. He is averaging 7.8 rebounds per game, while also scoring 13.0 points per game this year.
Kentucky has not been great on defense. They are 253rd in points allowed per game, but they do get some defensive presence down low. Kentucky is tenth in the nation in blocks per game and 53rd in steals per game. Ugonna Onyenso has been great on defense when in the lineup. He is averaging 2.6 blocks per game since returning to the lineup.
Final Georgia-Kentucky Prediction & Pick
The major difference in this game is the Kentucky offense against the Georgia defense. Kentucky has five guys that can both move the ball and score well. Kentucky does not have the depth or skill to compete with that. Further, Kentucky is the better rebounding team. Overall, expect Kentucky to be able to control this game. While the Kentucky defense will give up points, it will not be enough to make a difference.
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Final Georgia-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: Kentucky -10.5 (-104)
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