The No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats look to get back on track when they host the Utah Valley Wolverines in non-conference college basketball action on Monday. The Wolverines (3-1), who are 1-1 on the road, are coming off a 66-55 win at UAB, while the Wildcats (2-1), who are 1-1 at home this season, were stunned by Evansville, 67-64, on their home court on Tuesday. Tip-off from Rupp Arena at Lexington, Ky., is set for 7 p.m. ET. Kentucky had a 52-game home winning streak against unranked non-conference opponents snapped in the loss to Evansville. The Wildcats are 24.5-point favorites in the latest Kentucky vs. Utah Valley odds, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 135.5. Before making any Kentucky vs. Utah Valley picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated against-the-spread college basketball picks the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has locked in on Kentucky vs. Utah Valley. We can tell you it is leaning over, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 70 percent of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see that pick.
Now, here are several college basketball betting lines and trends for Kentucky vs. Utah Valley:
· Utah Valley vs. Kentucky spread: Kentucky -24.5
· Utah Valley vs. Kentucky over-under: 135.5 points
· Utah Valley vs. Kentucky money line: Utah Valley +799, Kentucky -83333
· Utah Valley is hitting 46.1 percent from the floor this season
· Kentucky has won five of its last six home games, dating back to last year
The Wildcats, who have never lost consecutive home games under coach John Calipari, are 247-41 vs. unranked opponents under Calipari and are 50-12 following a loss in the Calipari era. Kentucky, who made a season best 20 of 25 free throws (80 percent) against Evansville, is 595-70 (.895) at Rupp Arena, which opened in November of 1976. It is also 9-1 against the spread in its last 10 non-conference games.
Offensively, freshman guard Tyrese Maxey has carried the Wildcats through the early portion of the schedule and is averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals. In the loss to Evansville, Maxey scored 15 points. His best game of the season was against then-No. 1 ranked Michigan State in the season opener, scoring 26 points and adding five rebounds. For the season, he is 18 for 20 from the free-throw line (90 percent).
But just because the Wildcats have been dominant on their home court, does not guarantee they will win or cover the Kentucky vs. Utah Valley spread on Monday.
That's because Utah Valley has had some success since going to Division I in 2009-10. The Wolverines have had two straight winning seasons and five over the past nine and have compiled a 176-148 (.543) record since 2009-10. They are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games following an against-the-spread win.
Senior guard Brandon Averette leads the Wolverines with a 17 ppg average and 2.5 rebounds per game. He is coming off his best outing, with 18 points and four rebounds against UAB. Also powering the Utah Valley offense so far this season are junior guard Isaiah White and senior guard T.J. Washington. White is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds per game, including a 25-point, 13-rebound effort against Westminster, Utah, on Nov. 5. Washington led the Wolverines with 19 points against UAB and added six rebounds and three steals.
So who wins Utah Valley vs. Kentucky? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 70 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Utah Valley vs. Kentucky spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $2,700 on its college basketball picks the last three years, and find out.
