Kentucky Wildcats vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Predictions, Picks, Odds

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The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats will be on the road in Tuscaloosa this Saturday night to tangle with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Game time on ESPN for this SEC tilt at Coleman Coliseum is set for 8 p.m. (ET).

SCORE PREDICTION

Kentucky 81, Alabama 78

BEST BETS

Over 157 (-110) at DraftKings

KENTUCKY WILDCATS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE PREDICTIONS

Kentucky got past Vanderbilt by seven points this past Wednesday as a 14.5-point favorite at home. The Wildcats are now 7-2 straight-up in SEC play. The two losses came against LSU and Auburn as road underdogs. This is part of an overall SU record of 18-4 that includes additional losses to ACC foes Duke and Notre Dame.

The Crimson Tide have been on a roller coaster ride lately with road losses to Georgia and Auburn wrapped around an impressive nine-point upset over Baylor as three-point home underdogs. in last Saturday’s Big 12/SEC Challenge. Alabama is 4-5 SU in conference play as part of a 14-8 record overall.

The one thing these teams have in common is the ability to put points on the board. Alabama just gave up 100 points in Tuesday’s loss to Auburn, but it put up 81 points of its own. The Tide also scored 87 points against a tough Baylor defense. Kentucky tends to win most of its games by outscoring its opponent as opposed to stopping them on defense. My lean is towards the Wildcats SU, but the best bet is the OVER on the total line.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING ODDS

Kentucky -1.5 (-110)
Alabama +1.5 (-110)
Over 157 (-110)
Under 157 (-110)

More Odds | Futures Odds

KENTUCKY WILDCATS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING RESOURCES

Matchup: SEC
Date: Saturday, February 5, 2022
Venue: Coleman Coliseum
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
TV-Time: ESPN - 8:00 p.m. ET

KENTUCKY WILDCATS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 18-4
ATS: 10-12
O/U: 11-11

Kentucky has won seven of nine SEC games this season SU, but it is just 2-7 against the spread. The total has gone OVER in four of the Wildcats’ last six games starting with a wild 107-79 romp over Tennessee on Jan. 15. They have scored at least 70 points in five of those six contests.

This roster goes five deep with players scoring at least 10 points per game. Forward Oscar Tshiebwe has led the way with 16.1 points while also averaging an incredible 15.2 rebounds a game. You can also put him at the top of the list for steals (1.8) and blocked shots (1.5).

Guards’ TyTy Washington Jr. (12.8 points) and Kellan Grady (12 points) are next on the list. Each player is shooting better than 47% from the field with Grady going 44.2% from three-point range. Guard Sahvir Wheeler (10.5) leads Kentucky in assists with 7.1 a game.

Averaging 81.9 points a game and shooting 49.3% from the field, Kentucky is one of the most exciting teams in the nation if you are a fan of high-scoring games. The Wildcats are also pulling down 41.1 rebounds a game with 13.1 on offense. At the other end of the court, they are giving up an average of 64.4 PPG.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 14-8
ATS: 8-14
O/U: 14-7-1

As spotty as their SU play has been since late December, the Tide have been a train wreck for bettors at 2-12 ATS over their past 14 games. I am expecting a close matchup on Saturday night playing at home, but I would not bet on it. The solid play has been the OVER on the total line. It has gone OVER the closing number in 10 of those 14 outings.

Alabama has a trio of players scoring at least 12 PPG. Guard Jaden Shackleford tops that list with 17.6 points a game while shooting 40.8% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range. Guard Jahvon Quinerly is next with 14.8 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per game. He is also hitting close to 41% of his shots from the field.

Guard Keon Ellis rounds out this trio with 12 PPG while averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds. He is the most consistent shooter of the three with a 43.2 field goal percentage. All three of these players have been able to average more than 30 minutes playing time across all of Alabama’s 22 games this season.

The Tide are averaging 81.4 PPG as a team. They are shooting 44.8% from the field and 31.4% from three-point range. Alabama matches up well under the boards with 39.9 rebounds a game. However, its points-allowed average on defense balloons up to 76.0.

**Kentucky has failed to cover the spread in four of its last six road games. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Record: 18-4
VI Ranking: 9
PS/G: 81.9 (8th)
PA/G: 64.4 (58th)
ORtg: 115.5 (6th)
DRtg: 90.8 (29th)

INSIDE THE STATS - ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Record: 14-8
VI Ranking: 18
PS/G: 81.4 (10th)
PA/G: 76 (325th)
ORtg: 110.8 (34th)
DRtg: 103.5 (287th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

UK: Oscar Tshiebwe - F (16.1 ppg, 15.2 rpg)
UK: TyTy Washington - G (12.8 ppg, 4.2 apg)
BAMA: Jaden Shackelford - G (17.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
BAMA: Jahvon Quinerly - G (14.8 ppg, 4.3 apg)

KENTUCKY WILDCATS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING CONCLUSION

Alabama won both meetings last season SU and ATS as another source of inspiration for Kentucky to get the SU win on the road. The total has actually stayed UNDER in three of the last four meetings, but there will be just too much firepower on the court in this matchup to keep the total from going OVER.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS VS. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING TRENDS

Kentucky has failed to cover the spread in four of its last six road games.
Alabama has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last 11 home games.
Alabama has gone OVER the point total in seven of its last 10 games.
Alabama has failed to cover the spread in 12 of its last 14 games.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson