12 down, 19 more to go. The Kentucky Wildcats are more than a third of the way toward a perfect regular season. As things currently stand, their eagerly anticipated clash against fierce in-state rivals, the Louisville Cardinals, will be their last against a ranked opponent this season. Louisville might very well be the last big obstacle the Wildcats will have to overcome en route to 31-0.
The similarly undefeated Cardinals will be on their home floor and will get their star player back in the lineup, but will those still be enough to upset the No. 1 team in the country? Find out with our preview below.
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[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Preview
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville
When: Saturday, December 27, 2014, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats at Louisville Cardinals – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky is one game away from completing the sweep on their nonconference schedule this season. The Wildcats have been simply sensational through their first dozen games, blowing opponents away in impressive fashion.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]They’ve won each of their 12 games by double-digits and have brought down the three ranked opponents they’ve faced – Kansas, Texas and North Carolina – by 32, 12 and 14 points, respectively. The Wildcats are 7-4-1 against the spread this season.
They are also coming off another dazzling performance against UCLA, holding the Bruins to seven first-half points on their way to an 83-44 demolition in the United Center last Saturday.
Guards Aaron Harrison and Devin Booker have led the charge for the stacked Wildcats over their last two wins over UNC and UCLA.
Harrison is having his most consistent stretch of the season. He’s scored at least 14 points in each of his first three games and has hit three three-pointers in back-to-back games. Meanwhile, Booker has exploded off Kentucky’s incredibly deep bench with 34 points on 12-for-18 shooting (67 percent) including a sizzling 8-for-9 from beyond the arc in those two games.
Aaron Harrison and brother Andrew have already had the experience of facing the Louisville press twice last season – both Kentucky wins. Andrew in particular excelled in their Sweet 16 showdown as he had 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. The Harrison twins’ ability to navigate past that press will be crucial for Kentucky as they look to turn this game a halfcourt battle.
Kentucky is 6-0 against the spread in its last six visits to Louisville and 6-1-1 in its last eight meetings overall.
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Betting on the Louisville Cardinals
No Montrezl Harrell, no problem. Louisville didn’t have too many issues without their All-American forward, who was suspended for one game for throwing a punch, as the Cardinals crushed CS Northridge, 80-55, on Tuesday. Louisville improved to 10-0 on the season, but is still just 3-5-1 against the spread.
Senior Wayne Blackshear stepped up in Harrell’s absence and rained in 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting with six three-pointers. Terry Rozier added 16 points to go with six rebounds and five assists.
Louisville will present an interesting matchup for Kentucky, especially with Harrell back in the lineup. The Cardinals, who are second in the nation in both Defensive Rating and rebounding (45.7 per game) have the size upfront with Harrell, Mangok Mathiang and co. to match up with the Wildcats’ frontline on the glass.
Meanwhile, their press, which helps generate 10.4 steals per game (fifth in the country), fuels their transition game. If executed properly, that could negate Kentucky’s size advantage in the paint, which has been the biggest factor in the Wildcats’ outstanding No. 1 Defensive Rating.
However, the Cardinals don’t have anywhere near the depth and firepower that the Wildcats possess on offense. Kenpom.com has them way down in No. 41 in terms of adjusted offensive efficiency, while Kentucky is No. 5. If the press doesn’t function as planned and Louisville is forced to play half-court basketball against Kentucky, they’ll be in significant trouble.
Writer’s Prediction
Kentucky finds a way past Louisville to win and cover on the road.
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