The No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (9-2) visit Louisville to play the Cardinals (9-3) in a game that has the potential to be high-scoring. The game starts at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 29, 2018, and will air on ESPN2.
Kentucky Wildcats at Louisville Cardinals Free Prediction
In the Wildcats’ last outing, they were dismantled by the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils, 118-84. Duke’s 4.2 turnover percentage was their largest strength over Kentucky, who had a mark of 16.5. Keldon Johnson led Kentucky in scoring with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
The Cardinals defeated the Nicholls Colonels in their last matchup, 85-72. One of Louisville’s biggest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They had 55 free throw attempts, while Nicholls had just 16. Steven Enoch was Louisville’s high scorer with 15 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field.
After the Wildcats won the sole contest against the Cardinals last season, 90-61, these teams will meet for the first time this year. The Wildcats made 24 of their 30 free throws (80.0 percent) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.532 vs. 0.370).
Jordan Nwora has averaged 0 points over the last five games for Louisville.
This matchup figures to be a shootout as a pair of the country’s best offenses go head-to-head. Louisville ranks 43rd with 114.4 points per 100 possessions and Kentucky is 16th (117.3). Additionally, the Wildcats rank third in offensive rebounding percentage (41.4 percent), while the Cardinals rank 13th in defensive rebounding percentage (77.4 percent).
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Kentucky, ATS Winner – Louisville, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Louisville ranks 115th in three pointers attempted per game (23.3) while Kentucky ranks 242nd (17.6).
The Wildcats average 5.6 blocks per game, which ranks 15th in the NCAA. The Cardinals rank 73rd in blocks allowed per game (3.3).
Kentucky ranks first in rebounds allowed per game (27.1) while Louisville ranks 49th (32.2).
The Cardinals rank 33rd in steals allowed per game (5.3) while the Wildcats rank 61st (5.9).
Kentucky ranks 72nd in assists per game (14.9) while Louisville ranks 78th in assists allowed per game (12.3).
Bettings Trends:
The Wildcats’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.8, down from 13.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Cardinals have scored an average of 86.0 points per game (5.8 above their season average) and allowed an average of 74.6 points per game (6.1 above their season average).
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