Oakland Golden Grizzlies vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/21/2024

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Thursday, March 21, 2024

Venue:  PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA 

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Oakland +13.5, Kentucky -13.5; Over/Under:  163 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Oakland +13.5, Kentucky -13.5; Over/Under:  163 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Oakland +13.5, Kentucky -13.5; Over/Under:  163.5 points

Oakland Golden Grizzlies:  23-11 (15-5) (1st place, Horizon League)

Kentucky Wildcats:  23-9 (13-5) (4th place, SEC)

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Oakland Golden Grizzlies:  4-1  last 5

Kentucky Wildcats:  3-2  last 5

Oakland is entering this game with a 23-11 record overall, a 15-5 record in conference games, and they are 4-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Milwaukee Panthers in their last game. Trey Townsend led the team in points per game in that game with 38 while Jack Gohlke was next on the team with 15. DQ Cole led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Trey Townsend led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 43.5% from the field, 36.4% from 3-point range, and 77.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.9 PPG against them. Oakland has an ATS record of 21-13 this season and their O/U record is 21-13.

Kentucky is entering this game with a 23-9 record overall, a 13-5 conference record, and they are 2-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Texas A&M Aggies in their last game. Rob Dillingham led the team in points in that game with 27 while Reed Sheppard was next on the team with 14. Rob Dillingham led the team in assists with 7 in that game while Tre Mitchell led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 50% from the field, 40.7% from 3-point range, and 72.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 89.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 79.7 PPG against them. Kentucky has an ATS record of 18-14 this season and their O/U record is 23-9.

The current betting odds have Kentucky listed as a 13.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 23-9 record overall and their 13-5 conference record in the SEC which had them near the top of the conference. They haven't looked great in their neutral site games with their 2-2 record in those, but they have also had a much stronger schedule for most of the season. Meanwhile, Oakland has looked good in their games this season with their 23-11 record overall and their 15-5 conference record in the Horizon League which had them leading the way. They have been really good in their neutral site games this season with their 4-1 record in those and they did go on to win their conference tournament too. Oakland has been the hotter team coming into this one with their 4-1 record in their last 5 games, but they have been playing against weaker teams in those and have also been off for over a week since their last game so they could have some rust here. Kentucky didn't go deep in the SEC Tournament but they will be looking to bounce back here now that it matters most and they have a lot more talent on their side. The best way to place a bet here is on Kentucky to cover the spread in this game.

Oakland Kentucky Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, March 21, 2024 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Kentucky 91 Oakland 66.

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Oakland Golden Grizzlies: 20-13 ATS in all games. 8-3 ATS as an underdog. 11-6 ATS in a postseason tournament game. 11-6 OVER off a win against a conference rival. 13-4 OVER in a postseason tournament game. 6-3 OVER after playing 5 consecutive games as favorite.

Kentucky Wildcats: 5-11 ATS in all neutral court games. 2-9 ATS in all tournament games. 17-23 ATS off a loss by 10 points or more to a conference rival. 23-9 OVER in all games. 18-7 OVER as a favorite. 18-4 OVER after one or more consecutive overs.

Oakland Golden Grizzlies:  None.

Kentucky Wildcats:  None.

"My whole focus for the whole year was to get here and get these kids here. I haven't been to sleep since we got here. I've probably gone through 12 5-Hour Energies, maybe I'm a little bit jacked up on caffeine right now because of that. But it just hit me. When the confetti came down, it hit me, man.” - Greg Kampe after his team’s win against Milwaukee in their last game of the Horizon League Tournament.

“When the ball stops, we’re not the same team. Go 1-on-5, you can’t make a play that way. We haven’t for weeks. Today we kind of did. ... But they deserved that game the way they played. Again, I mean, we give up 97. How many games you going to win giving up 97 points?” - John Calipari after his team’s loss against Texas A&M in their last game of the SEC Tournament on Friday.

D. Cole 

C. Conway 

I. Jones 

B. Lampman 

T. Townsend

A. Bradshaw 

J. Edwards 

T. Mitchell 

A. Reeves 

D. Wagner

PPG: T. Townsend (16.6)

APG: B. Lampman (3.2)

Reb/G: T. Townsend (7.6)

PPG: A. Reeves (20.2)

APG: R. Sheppard (4.5)

Reb/G: T. Mitchell (6.9)

Coaches:

Oakland Golden Grizzlies: Greg Kampe (40th season)

Kentucky Wildcats: John Calipari (15th season)