Kentucky Wildcats vs. Michigan Wolverines Betting Odds
Carrie Stroup here with your Kentucky Wildcats vs. Michigan Wolverines betting odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com – Place your 1st bet here, get your 2nd bet FREE up to $100.
Michigan looks to get back to the Final Four on Sunday as its takes on a confident Kentucky team riding high after a win against defending national champion Louisville in the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats pulled off a 74-69 victory on Friday night, coming back from an early 18-5 deficit to secure their sixth straight ATS win. They held 37-29 rebounding advantage and made 22-of-27 free throws. Kentucky is now a pedestrian 18-17 ATS overall this season (8-6 ATS in non-conference play), but is an impressive 7-2 ATS on neutral courts. Freshman PF Julius Randle posted his third straight double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) in the win over Louisville, and will have a big advantage in the post where his strength and athletic ability will be difficult for a guard-oriented Michigan team to contain. The Wolverines were able to hang on for a 73-71 win in the Sweet 16 versus Tennessee on Friday, but unlike UK, they really struggled down the stretch. They led by 15 points with nine minutes left, but turnovers allowed the Volunteers to nearly pull off the comeback. Michigan pushed Friday's spread, making the team 18-14-2 ATS overall (6-5-2 ATS in non-conference play) and just 4-4-2 ATS on neutral courts. Three-point shooting has been huge for the Wolverines, and it once again played a huge role in the win against Tennessee, as they drained 7-of-9 threes in the first half, finishing the game with 11 made three-pointers. Both accomplished head coaches have favorable betting trends, as Kentucky's John Calipari is 8-0 ATS after two straight wins by six points or less since 1997, while Michigan's John Beilein is 18-4 ATS in the NCAA Tournament in this same timeframe.
The offense of Kentucky has been decent, as it ranks 60th in the nation in scoring (75.4 PPG) despite shooting 45.1% FG (127th in Div. I) and 32.6% threes (237th in nation). Turnovers have also been an issue with 12.2 TO per game (175th in Div. I), but this team is ferocious in the paint with a +9.8 RPG margin (2nd in nation) and 6.1 BPG (10th in Div. I). This helps limit opponents to 66.5 PPG (77th in nation) on 40.8% FG (47th in Div. I) and 31.8% threes (53rd in nation). The Wildcats have many talented players on their team, but it all starts with freshman star PF Julius Randle (15.1 PPG, 10.7 RPG). Randle can hurt his opponents in so many different ways. He has the ability to take his defender off the dribble and score on the left hook, but he is also strong enough to simply overpower his opponents. He could be the difference in this game, as the Wolverines have no player like him. SG James Young (14.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG) is the wild card on this team, as he is the best outside shooter on the team with a team-high 108 made threes. He struggled to get into any kind of flow in the Sweet 16 game, as he finished with only five points before fouling out. Young is from the state of Michigan, and if he is on from the outside, will make the Wildcats even more dangerous. SG Aaron Harrison (14.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.9 APG) and PG Andrew Harrison (11.1 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3.1 RPG) are improving every single game, and each played a huge role in the victory against Louisville. They combined for seven assists and only three turnovers, while also going 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. The big advantage they had on the Louisville guards is their height. With guys like Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert guarding them a lot of the time on Sunday, the twin brothers will have to use their quickness to get to the basket.
The Wolverines score fewer points (74.0 PPG, 81st in nation) than Kentucky, but they shoot much better at 47.7% FG (21st in Div. I), 40.2% threes (4th in nation) and 76.2% FT (8th in Div. I). They are also highly efficient due to a mere 9.4 turnovers per game (9th in Div. I), and don't hurt themselves with silly fouls, committing a nation-low 14.3 fouls per game. Michigan's defense is also solid, limiting opponents to 64.8 PPG (49th in nation) and 31.2% threes (36th in Div. I). The one glaring weakness is on the glass, where the Wolverines hold a slim +0.5 RPG margin (178th in nation). SG Nik Stauskas (17.3 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.0 RPG) has taken his game to the next level. Last season, he was counted upon strictly as an outside shooter, as many of his points last season were in large part because of the play of point guard Trey Burke, who did a great job of getting his teammates wide open shots. While Stauskas is still an excellent outside shooter (45% threes), he can now score from anywhere on the court (47% FG, 82% threes). PF Glenn Robinson III (13.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG) is a big-time athlete, but he will have a much different role on Sunday as he will be asked to guard Julius Randle a lot of the time. PF Jordan Morgan (6.2 PPG, 69% FG, 5.0 RPG) did not play a huge role during the season, but has played some terrific basketball in the NCAA Tournament with 13.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG in the three wins. He also made the play of the game against Tennessee by taking a charge against Jarnell Stokes with nine seconds left that helped the Wolverines prevail. If the Wolverines can get big performances from guys like SG Caris LeVert (13.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG) and PG Derrick Walton Jr. (8.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.9 APG), they will be difficult to guard. Freshman SG Zak Irvin (6.7 PPG, 42% threes) does not play a ton of minutes, but went 3-of-3 from the three-point line against the Vols on Friday night. If the Wolverines are able to hit from deep like they did versus Tennessee, another trip to the Final Four could be in store.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
