The No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels (8-2) take on the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats (8-2) at United Center. The game is scheduled to get underway at 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 22, 2018.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. North Carolina Tar Heels ATS Prediction
In the Wildcats’ last game, they were blown out by the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils, 118-84. Duke’s 4.2 turnover percentage was their largest strength over Kentucky, who had a rate of 16.5. Keldon Johnson was Kentucky’s leading scorer with 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
The Tar Heels defeated the Wofford Terriers in their last outing, 78-67. The Tar Heels had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (35.7 vs. 26.5) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.568 vs. 0.452). Luke Maye was the top scorer from either team with 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field.
Cameron Johnson and Maye have played well over the last five games for North Carolina. Johnson has averaged 0 points per game. Not to be outdone, Maye has put up 0 points a game during that span.
It might turn into a high-scoring affair as a pair of the nation’s best offenses clash. North Carolina ranks seventh with 119.9 points per 100 possessions and Kentucky is ninth (119.3). Also, the Wildcats rank third in offensive rebounding percentage (43.0 percent), while the Tar Heels rank 30th in defensive rebounding percentage (76.5 percent).
Kentucky vs. North Carolina Odds Pick
Pick: SU Winner – North Carolina, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
North Carolina ranks 124th in three pointers attempted per game (22.9) while Kentucky ranks 250th (16.8).
The Tar Heels rank fifth in assists per game (19.9) while the Wildcats rank 112th (14.0).
Kentucky ranks 14th in blocks per game (5.4) while North Carolina ranks 113th in blocks allowed per game (3.8).
The Tar Heels rank 41st in steals per game (7.9) while the Wildcats rank 132nd (5.8).
Both of these teams are great at rebounding the ball. North Carolina is third in the nation with 45.6 rebounds per game while Kentucky is 44th with 39.4 rebounds per game.
Bettings Trends:
The Wildcats’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 7.8, down from 14.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Tar Heels have scored an average of 98.6 points per game (4.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 68.0 points per game (7.3 below their season average).
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