Written by Rohit Ghosh
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Kentucky vs UCLA: Sweet 16 Picks
Top Trend: All Totals Picks entering Sweet 16 - 33-15, 69% + 1650
If there's one thing we're sure to get in Friday's marquee UCLA-Kentucky matchup, it's offense and plenty of it. Both teams will get up and down the floor, with UCLA and Kentucky rankings as the No. 1 and No. 8 best scoring offenses in the nation, respectively. On the other side, neither are even in the top-100 in scoring defense.
At the time of publication, the line's moving back-and-forth between a pick 'em and the Bruins as a one-point favorite. The Bruins are getting the majority of the public bets, hovering around 65 percent. Also, bettors are saying this game will stay UNDER the posted total line of 168, with 52 percent of the public taking the UNDER.
Betting Trends
• Kentucky is on a 13-game winning streak but has covered just 5 spreads in that span.
• UCLA is 12-1 overall in its 13 games, but has covered just 5 spreads in that span.
• Kentucky is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games against the Pac-12.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of UCLA’s last 8 Friday games
These two sides met earlier in the season when the Bruins ended the Wildcats' 42-game home winning streak with a 97-92 performance that saw UCLA guard Lonzo Ball finish with 14 points and seven assists. Big man TJ Leaf chipped in with 17 points and 13 rebounds as UCLA shot 53 percent from the field.
AccuScore has a four-star picks against the spread and sees SIGNIFICANT value on the moneyline odds in this game. See AccuScore’s Picks for UCLA vs Kentucky
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Final Word
The fact of the matter is that UK won't miss another nine free throws like it did last time around. Calipari will have his team ready to stay within a possession, at the worst, in what's largely a revenge game.
Either way, there's very little chance the total score doesn't get pushed up. The safest bet might be the OVER.
