In his first taste of SEC play, Ben Simmons showed no signs of fear or nervousness as he delivered a 36-point performance against Vanderbilt. But his LSU Tigers are going to be tested even more when they play host to the No.9 Kentucky Wildcats, who have beaten them in their last three meetings. Can Simmons carry the Tigers towards another triumph? Or will the Wildcats continue their dominance?
Read on below for a full breakdown of this must-see matchup. And if you’re craving for some NHL action as well, you can check out our in-depth preview of the Dallas Stars vs. New York Rangers game.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Kentucky Wildcats vs. LSU Tigers Preview
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
When: Tuesday, January 5, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats (-5.5) vs. LSU Tigers (+5.5)– view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats (11-2, 1-0 SEC)
After suffering their second loss of the season to Ohio State, the Kentucky Wildcats responded back with two-straight wins at the expense of No.16 Louisville and Ole Miss. In both games, it was none other than Tyler Ulis who shined brightest for the Wildcats with a total of 41 points, 18 assists and seven steals while owning a staggering field goal rate of 60 percent.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ] Now, the No. 9 Wildcats will hope that their beloved sophomore point guard can keep playing at high level when they travel to Baton Rouge for an intriguing bout with the LSU Tigers. Kentucky is 4-1 SU and 1-4 ATS in its past five encounters with its SEC rivals.
For the Wildcats to successfully emerge with the win in this one, they can’t keep relying solely on Ulis’ strong play to carry them to another triumph. That said, the pair of Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe ought to carry some of the scoring burden as well.
Murray, the 18-year-old Canadian guard, can definitely do just that as he currently boasts a team-high 16.8 PPG with 4.6 RPG and 2.8 APG. He’s also been on his A-game in the past three games, averaging 21.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. That stretch includes their game against the Buckeyes on December 19, during which Murray erupted for 33 points on 13-for-23 shooting.
Briscoe, meanwhile, is the Wildcat’s second-leading scorer with 11.0 PPG. But he’s lost his touch lately with only 28 points combined and a 34.8 field goal percentage in his last four games.
From a defensive standpoint, the Wildcats will have their hands full versus the Tigers, who are scoring 84.2 points per game and have the most talented player in the nation in Ben Simmons on their team. Kentucky is allowing 65.8 points per game thus far this season.
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Betting on the LSU Tigers (8-5, 1-0 SEC)
Speaking of Ben Simmons, he handled his first test of SEC play—a 90-82 road win opposite Vanderbilt—in resounding fashion and sets his sights on replicating his performance against the ninth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
Simmons, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward, made the Commodores’ defense look soft all game long with his game-high of 36 points with 14 rebounds and four assists while going 10-for-15 from the field and 16-for-19 from the charity stripe. But the Kentucky defense should prove to be a heftier task to overcome and it’ll be interesting to see how Simmons will be able to adjust his game.
Apart from Simmons, the Tigers still have a handful of players to help them pile up the points. For one, there’s senior guard Keith Crosby (17.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG and 2.0 APG) who has finished in double-figures in all of his games this season. And there’s also the savvy pair of Craig Victor II (13.4 PPG) and Tim Quarterman (11.4 PPG).
The Tigers’ defense (76.6 points allowed per game) is completely a different story, however. They are giving up 76.6 points per game this year, which is among the highest in the nation. LSU has got to tighten up their defense and the most effective way to do so would be to prevent Kentucky’s floor general in Tyler Ulis from finding his groove.
Writer’s Prediction
LSU keeps it close thanks to Simmons strong play, but the Wildcats (-5.5) manage to edge past them by only single-digits.
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