NCAA Final 4 Predictions – Kentucky
Kentucky has had a rather easy road to the Final 4, as all of their wins in the Big Dance have been by double digits. It is no surprise that the Wildcats have the best odds to win the NCAA tournament.
Odds to win Big Dance – 1.70
Odds to win Final 4 Game facing Louisville – UK -8.5 / Louisville +8.5 O/U 137
This season Kentucky was 6-0 facing teams ranked in the top 25 including wins over fellow Final 4 members Kansas and Louisville, who they face in the Final 4.
From top to bottom Kentucky is stacked and they are ld by the probable #1 pick in the next NBA Draft, if he decides to come out, in F Anthony Davis, who went for 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the win over Baylor in the Elite 8 game. Davis is tall and long and is a master at rejecting adjoining shots. He got a scare in the Baylor game with a knee injury, but it is a minor one.
Davis and G Doron Lamb give UK one of the best inside/outside duos in the nation and Lamb has averaged almost 17 ppg in the Big Dance and has buried 9 of his 15 3-pointers. Marquis Teague and Darius Miller join Lamb in the backcourt and both of these players can light it up and during the regular season each shot over 31% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Lamb and Davis are the leaders of the team, but the Wildcats do not lack in scoring options. UK had 4 players score in double figures in the win over Baylor and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Terrence Jones, along with Davis, give Kentucky a great frontcourt.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Wildcats are one of the most athletic, if not THE, athletic teams in the nation and whoever faces them has a tall task. The Wildcats can wreak havoc in the backcourt and frontcourt and they are an imposing team. Davis is simply dominant in the paint and after leading the nation in blocks per game, as a freshman no less, opponents are always thinking about him when they get in the lane.
UK already beat Louisville this season and the F duo of Kidd-Gilchrist and Davis combined for 42 points, 19 rebounds, and 6 blocks (all by Davis) in that game. If these 2 have good games UK is almost impossible to beat. However, teams will key on them so Lamb and the guards have to shoot the rock well from the outside.
I spoke about the Louisville game earlier this season and in that game the Wildcats only shot 29.8% from the field and they still won by 7 points. They won because they played good D and UK not only has a legit offense, but defense as well.
I think Kentucky will beat Louisville in the Final 4, but something tells me Kansas will upset them in the finals. I may be crazy, but that is what I see happening even though oddsmakers see the Wildcats winning it all.
