The SEC quarterfinals continue as Texas A&M faces Kentucky. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Texas A&M-Kentucky prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Texas A&M came into the tournament at the seven-seed after going 9-9 in conference play. That gave them a second-round game with Ole Miss. It was a one-point game with 15:43 left to play, and that is where Texas A&M took control. Texas A&M built a 13-point lead over the next eight minutes though. They would end up winning the game 80-71.
Kentucky finished the regular season 23-8 while going 13-5 in conference play, grabbing the two seed. they finished the regular season strong, winning their last five games, including wins over Alabama and Tennessee. The Tennessee win was on the road, and they would win by four. Kentucky faced Texas A&M just once this year, falling on the road by a score of 97-92.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Texas A&M-Kentucky Odds
Texas A&M: +5.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +184
Kentucky: -5.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -225
Over: 158.5 (-112)
Under: 158.5 (-108)
How to Watch Texas A&M vs. Kentucky
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: SEC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Texas A&M Will Cover The Spread/Win
Texas A&M ranks 48th in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 44th on offense and 50th on defense in the adjusted rankings. They rank 146th in the nation in points per game, but sit 348th in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Wade Taylor IV leads the way with 18.1 points per game this year. He also leads the team with 4.1 assists per game, but he is shooting just 36.1 percent from the field this year. Meanwhile, Tyrece Radford is second on the team with 15.6 points per game. Henry Coleman III is shooting the best, hitting 56.7 percent of his shots, but scoring just 9.3 points per game.
Texas A&M is second in the nation in rebounds per game this year, while sitting first in offensive rebounding percentage and 113th in defensive rebounding percentage. Andersson Garcia leads the way here. He comes into the game with 9.6 rebounds per game, with over four of those being on the offensive glass per game this year. Meanwhile, both Tyrece Radford and Henry Coleman III come in with six rebounds per game, while Solomon Washington has 5.5 rebounds per game this year.
Texas A&M is 92nd in the nation in opponent points per game this year, while sitting 119th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Wade Taylor IV has been solid here, coming in with 2.0 steals per game this year. Meanwhile, Andersson Garcia has 1.3 steals per game on the season.
Why Kentucky Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kentucky ranks 17th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are ranked sixth on offensive efficiency, but sit 96th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Kentucky is second in the nation in points per game this year. They are 12th in assists-to-turnover ratio while sitting fourth in effective field goal percentage. Antonio Reeves has led the way on offense. He has 20.2 points per game this year while shooting well. Reeves is shooting 50.7 percent from the field this year. He is one of five players scoring over ten points per game while shooting over 40 percent this year. The top shooting percentage belongs to Reed Sheppard. He is shooting 54.0 percent from the field while averaging 12.8 points per game. His 12.7 points per game is third on the team though.
The rebounding for Kentucky has been solid. They are 59th in the nation in rebounds per game, but they are 22nd in the nation in defensive rebounds per game. The Mitchell has been solid here. He is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game, while also scoring 11.2 points per game this year. Adou Thiero also has been solid, with 5.1 rebounds per game. He is also adding 7.8 points per game this year.
Kentucky has not been great on defense. They are 332nd in points allowed per game, but they do get some defensive presence down low. Kentucky is third in the nation in blocks per game and 54th in steals per game. Ugonna Onyenso has been great on defense when in the lineup. He is averaging 2.5 blocks per game since returning to the lineup. Meanwhile, Tre Mitchell has 1.0 blocks per game this year. Further, Reed Sheppard has 2.5 steals per game this year.
Final Texas A&M-Kentucky Prediction & Pick
Kentucky finished their season going 3-3 against the spread down the stretch. The over did go 4-2 though, with one game missing by just a point. With the Kentucky defense not being great, playing the spread could be dangerous here. Their offense is wonderful and will score plenty against Texas A&M. The Texas A&M offense should score well here too. The biggest issue for Texas A&M will be turnovers. Kentucky does not turn the ball over much, so turnovers will lead to a lopsided amount of quality possessions. Still, even if turnovers are an issue in this game, that will just drive up the score.
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Final Texas A&M-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: Over 158.5 (-115)