The No.1-seeded Kentucky Wildcats (32-0) and No.8-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats (22-9) meet in the third round of the NCAA tournament at KFC Yum Center – Louisville, KY. Action begins at 2:40 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 21.
The Wildcats come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, dismantling Hampton 79-56 in the second round. Karl-Anthony Towns played a pivotal role with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. The Bearcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 66-65 win against Purdue in the second round. Octavius Ellis claimed his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Towns has taken his game to another level for the Wildcats, averaging 14.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.8 blocks.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Kentucky ranks first in the nation, allowing just 119.4 points per 100 possessions, while Cincinnati is 13th (147.8).
The odds for Kentucky and Cincinnati are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Wildcats have gone 35-0 Straight Up (SU) and 19-14-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (8-1-1). The rebounding edge goes to the Wildcats in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 38.1 boards per game. Kentucky is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.38. Kentucky’s defense can be considered for best in the country, allowing a Division I-best .354 opponent field-goal percentage.
Over on the other bench, the Bearcats have a record of 15-14 ATS and 23-11 SU.
These two meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Kentucky won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 1-0 over Cincinnati in their most recent meetings. With a 1-0 record, the Wildcats also have the advantage ATS. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – UK, ATS Winner – UK
Notes
The Kentucky Wildcats have the nation’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 119.4. The Cincinnati Bearcats have an offensive rating of 103.8 (ranked 146th).
Cincinnati has an average field goal percentage of 45.3%. Kentucky is undefeated (5-0) when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Kentucky Wildcats and the Cincinnati Bearcats both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Kentucky is 78th and 37th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Cincinnati ranks 119th and 86th in these categories.
Kentucky ranks 41st in assists, registering 14.9 per game. Cincinnati performs worse at 227th with 12.0 assists per game.
With 6.9 blocks per game, the Kentucky Wildcats rank second in the country. The Cincinnati Bearcats are among the top-25 teams in blocking, ranking 12th with 5.5 blocks per game.
Kentucky is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 22nd. Cincinnati ranks just 218th in defensive rebounds.
Cincinnati makes 6.7 steals per game. In games where it allows 6 or more steals, Kentucky is undefeated at 11-0.
