The Wildcats will try to hang on to first place in the SEC standings when No. 10 Kentucky travels to Baton Rouge on Tuesday night to face the LSU Tigers. The Wildcats (20-5) sit alone in the top spot at 10-2 after LSU (18-7) and Auburn lost road games on Saturday. Meanwhile, Kentucky defeated Ole Miss 67-62 in Lexington to improve to 8-1 in the Cats' last nine games.

The Wildcats are based around three talented young guards and athletic junior big man Nick Richards, who has evolved into a force. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. The Tigers are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Kentucky vs. LSU odds, up a half-point from the opener, while the over-under is 150. Before considering any LSU vs. Kentucky picks or college basketball predictions, make sure you see what the proven SportsLine Projection Model has to say.

This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. It also entered Week 16 of the 2019-20 season on a 54-30 run on all top-rated college basketball picks. Anybody who followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Kentucky vs. LSU. You can visit SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for LSU vs. Kentucky:

  • Kentucky vs. LSU spread: Tigers -2.5
  • Kentucky vs. LSU over-under: 150
  • Kentucky vs. LSU money line: Tigers -147. Wildcats +113
  • LSU: G Javonte Smart is 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) over the last four games.
  • Kentucky: G Tyrese Maxey is averaging 16.8 points over the last six games.

Why LSU can cover

LSU is 5-3-1 against the spread against ranked opponents the past two years, and the Tigers run a balanced offense through senior Skylar Mays. He scores 16.5 points and dishes out 3.3 assists for an offense that ranks 10th in the nation at 80.8 points per game. LSU also ranks 20th in field-goal percentage at 47.7, with Mays hitting 49.8 from the field and three other regulars topping 50. Emmitt Williams, a sophomore forward hits 56 percent and averages 13.9 points.

Williams also is one of three players to average at least seven rebounds, with Darius Days leading the way at 7.4. Days (11.8) is one of five players who score in double figures, along with Williams, Mays, Javonte Smart (12.5) and Trendon Watford (13.9). 

Why Kentucky can cover

At 6-foot-11, Richards has a 2-inch size advantage over anyone on LSU's roster. He has blocked five shots in the past two games and has double-doubles in three of the past seven. He averages 14.6 points and 8.2 rebounds, with 5.4 on the defensive end to rank third in the SEC. Sophomore E.J. Montgomery provides more size at 6-foot-10 and adds 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for the Wildcats, who are 2-1 against the spread as a road underdog.

Immanuel Quickley is the shot-maker for Kentucky. He hits 38.7 percent from long-range and averages a team-high 15 points. Sophomore Ashton Hagans and freshman Tyrese Maxey also score in double-figures from their guard spots, and Hagans is tied for ninth in the nation with 6.7 assists per game. Nate Sestina, the team's only senior, also is a physical presence at 6-foot-9.     

How to make Kentucky vs. LSU picks

We can tell you that the model is leaning under, with simulations projecting that no single player will top 14 points. The model also has generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Kentucky vs. LSU? And which side of the spread is hitting almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the LSU vs. Kentucky spread to jump on Tuesday, all from the advanced model on a 54-30 run on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.