Kentucky and Kansas are both synonymous with college basketball royalty and these programs are set to meet up on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET in what marks the biggest game of the day, as well as the marquee matchup in the 2019 SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Wildcats (15-3, 5-1 SEC), fresh off five consecutive conference wins, are five-point favorites in the latest Kentucky vs. Kansas odds, with the over-under set at 144.5. It's rare to see Kansas (16-3, 5-2 Big 12) getting that many points, but a red-hot Kentucky squad playing at Rupp Arena might be able to get this cover. And before making any Kentucky vs. Kansas picks of your own, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned over $5,200 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks. And it enters Week 12 of the 2018-19 college basketball season on a strong 15-6 run on top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has been following it is way up.
Now, the model takes aim at this SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup. We can tell you it's leaning over, and it also has a strong against the spread pick, saying one side hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see that one at SportsLine.
As always, John Calipari's team is loaded with one-and-done caliber freshmen, and the best of the bunch this year might be guard Keldon Johnson (14.6 ppg). He scored 20 in a recent win over Auburn and another big performance by him could lead to the Wildcats covering the Kentucky vs Kansas spread.
Johnson, however, has plenty of help. Freshman guard Tyler Herro averages 13.7 points per game, freshman forward Reid Travis averages 12.6 points per contest, while sophomore P.J. Washington is averaging 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per outing.
Kansas, however, is a tough opponent to knock off in any situation, and given five points, the Jayhawks also have a great chance to cover the spread.
The Jayhawks suffered a blow when Udoka Azubuike (hand) went down for the year in early January. A 77-60 road loss to Iowa State after that news was a reality check, but Kansas has adjusted in recent weeks.
The Jayhawks won three straight after the initial loss to the Cyclones. They suffered a one-point road setback to West Virginia, but then bounced back to avenge their loss to Iowa State. Their chances to pull off the road upset on Saturday largely depend on the play of Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson, a junior forward who is averaging a double-double and scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the win over Iowa State on Monday.
Who wins Kansas vs. Kentucky? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the model that has returned more than $5,200 to $100 players the last two years.
