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The Kentucky Wildcats will add to their record number of appearances in the NCAA Tournament when they face the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in a first-round game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Kentucky will make its record 61st appearance in the tournament. That's eight more than the next-best program, North Carolina. The Wildcats will also be playing in their record 185th NCAA Tournament game. Meanwhile, Oakland is playing in the tournament for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2011. The winner of Thursday's game will face the winner between No. 6 seed Texas Tech and No. 11 seed NC State on Saturday.

Tipoff is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are favored by 13 points in the latest Kentucky vs. Oakland odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 160.5. Before making any Oakland vs. Kentucky picks, you need to check out the college basketball analysis from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

The model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Kentucky vs. Oakland. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for Oakland vs. Kentucky:

  • Kentucky vs. Oakland spread: Wildcats -13
  • Kentucky vs. Oakland over/under: 160.5 points
  • Kentucky vs. Oakland money line: Wildcats -881, Golden Grizzlies +592
  • UK: The Wildcats lead the country in 3-point percentage (41.2)
  • OAK: The Golden Grizzlies commit 15.1 fouls per game (fewest in the Horizon League)
  • Kentucky vs. Oakland picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Kentucky can cover

Kentucky has a prolific offense. Led by senior guard Antonio Reeves (20.0 points per game), the Wildcats average 89.4 points per game, which ranks second in the country. Kentucky has scored at least 81 points in all but six games this season.

One of the reasons for the offense's success has been freshman guard Reed Sheppard. The son of 1998 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Jeff Sheppard, the younger Sheppard enters the NCAA Tournament as the only player in the country with at least 80 steals, 145 assists and 70 3-pointers. His 52.5% 3-point percentage would lead the country if he had enough 3-point makes. For his efforts this season, he was named the USBWA Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why Oakland can cover

Oakland will face a Kentucky team that has struggled on defense this season. The Wildcats give up 79.7 points per game, which ranks 12th in the SEC and 334th in the country. They also give up 102.7 points per 100 possessions according to Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency metric, which is 108th in the nation.

In addition, the Golden Grizzlies have a go-to scorer in Trey Townsend. The 6-foot-6, 228-pound junior forward and Horizon League Player of the Year averages 16.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. In the conference tournament title game, he scored a career-high 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting and was named the tournament MVP. See which team to back at SportsLine.  

How to make Kentucky vs. Oakland picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 161 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits more than 70% of the time. You can see the picks only at SportsLine. 

So who wins Oakland vs. Kentucky, and which side of the spread hits more than 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Kentucky vs. Oakland spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 148-106 roll on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.