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LSU vs Kentucky Odds and Picks (Feb 23)

   Published Date: February 23, 2022
  • The LSU vs Kentucky odds favor the Wildcats by 7.5-points on Wednesday (Feb. 23) at 9pm ET
  • LSU won the first meeting between the two programs 65-60 at home
  • Read below for the LSU vs Kentucky odds, analysis, and betting prediction

Wednesday night (Feb. 23) brings a loaded college hoops slate to sweat, but perhaps the most intriguing game takes place between SEC rivals. #6 Kentucky hosts LSU, looking for its eighth win in its past nine games.

The Wildcats enter play ranked second in the conference, and will also be looking for some revenge. They fell 65-60 in the first meeting between the two programs, but that didn’t stop oddsmakers from making them a strong favorite in the rematch.

LSU vs Kentucky Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
LSU Tigers +250 +7.5 (-114) O 142.5 (-110)
Kentucky Wildcats -315 -7.5 (-116) U 142.5 (-110)

Odds as of Feb. 22nd at BetMGM.

 

Kentucky opened up as a 7.5-point favorite, in a game that features a total of 142.5. Tip-off is scheduled for 9pm ET at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY, with ESPN providing the broadcast coverage.

UK currently has the sixth-shortest NCAA Tournament odds at +1300. LSU is just inside the top-20 at +5250. Kentucky was on the #1 line in last week’s March Madness bracket projection, while LSU was a #4 seed.

Kentucky Wildcats Betting Analysis

The Wildcats are fresh off back-to-back outings versus top-25 competition. They fell 76-63 last week versus #17 Tennessee, but rebounded on Saturday with a 90-81 victory over #25 Alabama.

The battle versus the Crimson Tide featured the top-two offenses in the loaded SEC, and it didn’t disappoint from an entertainment standpoint. Kellan Grady led Kentucky offensively with 25 points, including seven three’s. Leading scorer Oscar Tshiebwe added 21 points and 14 rebounds, as the team shot a blistering 53.2% from the field.

The performance was even more impressive considering the Wildcats were missing both of their starting guards. TyTy Washington Jr. and Sahvir Wheeler both sat out, and their status doesn’t look promising for Wednesday. Neither was practicing on Monday and while they’re officially listed as “day-to-day”, coach John Calipari said he expects to be shorthanded versus the Tigers.

Wheeler left Kentucky’s first meeting with LSU after just four minutes of action, while Washington Jr. battled cramps for the entire game. With their backcourt ailing, the Wildcats’ offense struggled putting up one of their lowest point totals of the season.

Kentucky enters play ranked not only first in the conference in points per game, but also field goal percentage, three-point efficiency and total rebounding.

Defensively, only the Tigers allow fewer points per contest, while the Wildcats are holding enemy shooters to a 40.6% field goal percentage, which is the 34th lowest mark in the country.

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LSU Tigers Betting Analysis

Just like the Wildcats, LSU is a lock for the NCAA Tournament. In addition to their win over Kentucky, the Tigers also boast resume building victories over #3 Auburn and the aforementioned Volunteers. They sit fifth in the SEC standings, and had won three straight prior to a loss last game versus South Carolina.

LSU fell 77-75 on the road, in large part due to some ice cold shooting. The Tigers shot 30% from three and just 59% from the charity stripe. The poor offensive numbers sealed their fate, as their defense did more than enough to win the game. They held the Gamecocks to 29% from beyond the arc, and forced 20 turnovers.

Forward Tari Eason led the offense with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Darius Days put up 18 points of his own. LSU enters play ranked sixth in the conference in points per game, and fifth in both field goal percentage and three-point efficiency.

As mentioned earlier, they lead the SEC in scoring defense, and held the Wildcats to 36.2% from the field in their first meeting. They rank fifth in the country in opponent field goal percentage, and no program in college hoops forces more turnovers.

This has been a good year for Louisiana sports betting to come online; bettors in the Bayour have seen their Tigers got 16-11 against the spread so far, which is a solid 59.3 cover percentage.

LSU vs Kentucky Pick

The Tigers defense is more than capable of keeping this game close, especially if Washington and Wheeler don’t play.

We’ve already seen Kentucky struggle against this LSU team before with a depleted backcourt, and even though the Wildcats were able to win without their starting guards versus Alabama, it should be noted that the Tide feature the second worst scoring defense in the conference.

For as good as Kentucky has been straight up, they’ve been far from world beaters against the spread. They’ve covered in just four of their past 10 contests, and are 6-8 ATS in conference play this season.

Pick: LSU Tigers +7.5 (-110)

The post LSU vs Kentucky Odds and Picks (Feb 23) appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.

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Author: Stacy Hoffman