No 3 Kentucky Wildcats at LSU Tigers

Saturday, February 06, 2010

By BetUS.com

No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats  (21-1 SU, 10-10 ATS) at
LSU Tigers (9-13 SU, 5-13 ATS)

Here are some NCAA Basketball Betting Trends which may impact this game:

• Kentucky: 4-2 ATS on the road
• Kentucky: 5-1 SU on the road
• LSU: 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games
• LSU: Total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 5 games

The Kentucky Wildcats enter this weekend’s betting odds as one of the hottest teams in college basketball. If they play up to their potential, they should have no problem winning Saturday, when they take a trip to LSU.

For Kentucky, it has been a magical first season under head coach John Calipari, as this team has been ranked in the top five for most of 2010. They are led by two freshmen who have been nothing short of spectacular.

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Leading the way is the man that everyone knows in college basketball, point guard John Wall. Wall is one of the more polarizing figures in the sport right now, but is most definitely talented, averaging 16.9 points and close to seven assists per game.

But as good as Wall has been, it has been budding low post superstar DeMarcus Cousins who has been carrying the Wildcats lately. Cousins has scored 20 or more points in two of Kentucky’s last three games, and has had a double-double five games in a row. Junior Patrick Patterson helps Cousins down low, while guard Eric Bledsoe brings athleticism on the wing. There is a reason the Wildcats average 82 points per game, they’ve simply got a bunch of really good players.

The same story cannot be said at LSU. A year after being at the top of the SEC standings, they’ve bottomed out, having lost all eight conference games they’ve played, and 11 of their last 12 overall.

The biggest problem for this team is that they simply don’t have the depth to keep up in this conference. Tasmin Mitchell, Bo Spencer and Storm Warren, are all excellent players. But besides the Tigers “Big Three,” no one on this roster is averaging more than four points per game. This problem has reared its ugly head of late, as LSU has not scored more than 55 points in any of their last three games, with an embarrassing 38 point performance at Alabama the lowlight of their season.

As we said in the beginning, if the Wildcats come out with any semblance of focus, they should comfortably win in the college basketball betting odds. That’s a big if with such a young team though.

Either way, it’s hard not to like Kentucky. Even in their worst game, they couldn’t possibly lose this one, and if they play their best, look out, it could get ugly early.

Kentucky will lose another game or two in conference play. It’s going to happen. Just not Saturday afternoon.

NCAA Basketball Pick from BetUS Sportsbook: Kentucky by 21