Kansas vs Kentucky 1/29/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 12^th ranked Kentucky Wildcats will travel to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the 5^th ranked Kansas Jayhawks this Saturday night in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The 12^th ranked Kentucky Wildcats improved to 16-4 on the season after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 82-74 (OT), this past Tuesday. Kentucky allowed Mississippi State to fight back from a 53-38 deficit with 12:26 left in regulation to force OT, however, the Wildcats were outstanding defensively in OT and easily pulled away after taking an 80-74 lead with 1:17 left in OT. Kentucky shot 47.0% from the field & 26.1% from beyond the arc while allowing Mississippi State to shoot 42.9% from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Oscar Tshiebwe who had a double-double with 21 points, 22 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 3 steals.

On the season, Kentucky is averaging 82.2 ppg on 49.7% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 34.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Kentucky has been led by Oscar Tshiebwe (16.3 ppg, 15.2 rpg, 1.6 spg, 1.6 bpg), TyTy Washington Jr. (13.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.2 spg), Kellan Grady (12.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 spg), & Sahvir Wheeler (11.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, Kentucky is holding their opponents to an average of 64.2 ppg on 40.7% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 12.8 and a turnover margin of 0.8.

The 5^th ranked Kansas Jayhawks won their 5^th straight game and improved to 17-2 on the season after defeating the 13^th ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders, 94-91 (2OT), this past Monday. Kansas allowed Texas Tech to fight back from a 12-point deficit with just 6:35 to force OT, however, the Jayhawks were able to pull out the victory after a Jalen Wilson FT gave Kansas the lead for good with 1:08 left in OT. Kansas shot 43.2% from the field & 34.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Texas Tech to shoot 46.6% from the field & 30.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Jayhawks was Ochai Agbaji who had 37 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assits, & 1 block.

On the season, Kansas is averaging 81.5 ppg on 49.3% shooting from the field. The Jayhawks are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 36.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Kansas has been led by Ochai Agbaji (21.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.4 apg), Christian Braun (15.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.2 bpg), David McCormack (9.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg), & Jalen Wilson (8.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.7 apg).

Defensively, Kansas is allowing their opponents to an average of 67.9 ppg on 42.4% shooting from the field. The Jayhawks have a rebound margin of 6.4 and a turnover margin of 1.6.

The Wildcats are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games & 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games on the road. The Jayhawks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games & 4-5 ATS in their last 9 road games.

Kentucky has been solid on both ends of the court this season and come into this game ranked 9^th in scoring offense, 5^th in FG%, 63^rd in scoring defense, & 1^st in rebound margin. Kansas has been led by their offense which ranks 12^th in scoring offense & 10^th in FG%, however, their defense has been nothing more than average and comes into this game ranked just t-154^th in scoring defense & 160^th in defensive FG%.

Kansas is a perfect 10-0 on at home this season, however, they have had plenty of close calls (SFA, Iowa State, Texas Tech) and I think this is going to be another competitive game as Kentucky has one of the few offenses in College Basketball that can keep up with the Jayhawks. Kentucky has won 5 of their last 6 games, which includes a 28-point victory over Tennessee, and as I think Kentucky has a good chance of winning this one outright, I’m taking the Wildcats and the points. Good Luck!