Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky Line has Wildcats a -8 Favorite
The Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky line had the Wildcats as a -8 point favorite coming into Tuesday night’s College Basketball game at Sportsbook.com.
No. 20 Kentucky looks to continue its home dominance when it hosts No. 21 Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats have won 33 consecutive games at home after Saturday's 76-68 victory over Florida. They are 14-0 in Lexington this season and have won by an average of nearly 23 PPG. Darius Miller (10.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 45.3% three-pointers) had a career-high 24 points to go along with five rebounds versus the Gators, while Brandon Knight (17.7 PPG, 4.1 APG, 4.0 RPG, 40.1% three-pointers) added 16 points and Doron Lamb (13.4 PPG, 48.6% three-pointers) chipped in with 14. Knight stretched his streak of double-digit scoring games to 23 and also added six assists. Second-leading scorer Terrence Jones (17.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG) was limited to eight points on 4-of-11 shooting. Kentucky is 20th in the nation in scoring (77.6 PPG), 26th in rebounding (38.5 RPG) and 49th in field-goal percentage (46.4%).
Vanderbilt is 5-4 in true road games this season, and has won three straight away from home. In nine road contests, it is hitting 43.1% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range. The Commodores have won six of their past seven games overall, with their only loss during that stretch coming versus Tennessee, 60-51, on Feb. 22. Jeffery Taylor (14.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG) scored a team-high 20 points against for his 21st double-figure scoring game of the season, and Lance Goulbourne (6.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG) added 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as Vanderbilt knocked off LSU, 90-69, on Saturday. The Commodores shot 54.4% from the floor (31-of-57) against the Tigers, which marked their highest field-goal percentage in SEC play this season, and their highest percentage since shooting 60.7% in the season opener versus Presbyterian. Vanderbilt defeated Kentucky, 81-77, in Nashville on Feb. 12. In that game, John Jenkins (19.5 PPG, 41.0% three-pointers) scored a career-high 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 6-of-10 on three-pointers. The Commodores also matched a season-high with 11 three-pointers and finished 11-of-20 (55.0%) from long range. Vanderbilt is 24th in the nation in scoring (77.1 PPG), 49th in rebounding (37.7 RPG) and 73rd in field-goal percentage (45.8%).
Kentucky leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt, 133-44. The Wildcats hold a dominant, 79-19 edge in Lexington and won last season's matchup at Rupp Arena, 85-72. Since 1997, Kentucky is 16-12 ATS (57%) in the series, which includes an 8-5 ATS mark (62%) at home. Although the Wildcats are just 8-12 ATS (40%) as a favorite and 4-9 ATS (31%) in SEC play, they are 5-3 ATS at home this year. Vanderbilt is 6-2 ATS on the road and 6-1 ATS as an underdog, but just 6-7 ATS in conference games. Despite the ATS advantage for the Commodores, Kentucky is riding high with confidence after beating SEC leader Florida Saturday. The Wildcats have won all their SEC home games by at least six points with a scoring margin of +17.9 PPG in conference games at Rupp Arena.
