The Abilene Christian Wildcats (+500,000 to win the national title) are headed to their first-ever March Madness appearance this Thursday. It’s a reason to party for ACU, but waiting for the school in the first round are perennial national title contenders Kentucky Wildcats (+1,200). Will Abilene Christian pulls off an insane shock win? Or will Kentucky show why there’s no place in the second round for first-timers?
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Betting Preview for the ACU Wildcats vs. Kentucky Wildcats College Basketball Game on March 21, 2019
Where: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville
When: Thursday, March 21, 2019, 7:00 PM ET
Line: ACU Wildcats (+22) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (-22) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the ACU Wildcats (27-6 Overall / 14-4 Conference)
Abilene Christian is a new kid on the block in March Madness. The Wildcats have never been in this stage before, so jitters is very much likely going to be an issue early in the game against Kentucky. That said, if ACU is going to beat or at least hang with Kentucky, it needs to have an extremely good start that will feed its confidence and make its players feel like they truly belong. Much of that will depend on how well their best players will fare. That would mostly be Jaren Lewis and Payten Ricks. Lewis leads in points and rebounds with 13.7 markers and 6.2 boards per contest. Ricks, meanwhile, is putting up 11.7 points per contest. He’s also a lethal outside sniper with a 40.8 3-point shooting percentage. Abilene Christian, which averages 71.7 points per game, would have been a bigger threat to Kentucky if not for the dismissals of Jalone Friday (13.1 PPG) and B.J. Maxwell (9.2 PPG) back in February due to unspecified team violations. The Wildcats allowed the fewest points per game (63.1) in conference play.
Abilene Christian, which beat the New Orleans Privateers, 77-60, in the Southland tourney finals, is 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games.
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats (27-6 Overall / 15-3 Conference)
Unlike ACU, Kentucky failed in its mission to win a conference tournament, losing in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament to the Tennessee Volunteers, 82-78. Losing to Tennessee wasn’t a shocker and not entirely inexcusable, but Kentucky has zero reasons to fall prey to ACU. The Wildcats have better talent and numbers to smother Abilene Christian. Among Kentucky’s advantages is their rebounding. With PJ Washington and Reid Travis teaming up in the paint, it’d be difficult for ACU to get rebounds. Kentucky was 30th in the nation with 38.5 rebounds per game, while ACU was just 317th with only 32.0 boards per contest while playing in one of the weakest leagues in Division I basketball. Kentucky’s backcourt tandem of Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson is also going to be a headache for ACU. Herro is averaging 14.2 points per game, while Johnson is behind him with 13.4 per contest.
The under is 7-3 in its last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
Kentucky wins, 75-69.
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