Game Time: 7:10 PM  ET, Thursday, March 17th, 2022

Venue: Gainbridge Filedhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings Sportsbook:  NL

Caesars:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread:  Kentucky -17.5; O/U 132

FanDuel: Spread: Kentucky -18; O/U 131.5

Saint Peters (15 seed) : 16-11

Kentucky (2 seed): 25-6

Saint Peters has won 8 of their last 10 games.  Winners of the Metro Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.  They beat Monmouth 60-54… but to get there they had to beat a tough Quinnipiac team after beating a tough Fairfield team.  In the MAC tourney they went 3-3 ATS as they were favored in every game and covered.  1 Over and 2 Unders.  It was a fun time for Saint Peters.  The players will receive a tournament championship trophy and ring… they will be linked forever in history in the MAC.  Now they have to play Kentucky in round 1 of the NCAA tournament.  The question is not: Will they win?... because they won’t.  The Question is:  Will they cover?.... The answer is maybe?  The initial line on the game is Kentucky favored by -17.5 to -18.  DraftKings has yet to weigh in with a spread… but usually the line does not move too much on a game like this.  St Peters leading scorer 6’3 guard Darryl Banks III leads in scoring in name only… he only pours in 11.2 ppg.  He is a solid playing Los Angeles kid getting a free education from a good school.  Big Man 6’8 Forward Clarence Rupert will be dwarfed by every player on Kentucky’s frontline.  In fact if you stood Saint Peters next to Kentucky player after player the size difference would be shocking.  Height isn’t everything in basketball… but a height difference at every position on the court all game long is kind of a big deal.  Saint Peters doesn’t care they will play a valiant game!  They are just happy to be there. Saint Peters calling card in the MAC all season long has been DEFENSE.  They rank 54th nationally… but built all those stats against teams in the MAC…. ya remember… Fairfield, Quinnipiac, … this team lost to Siena 84 -70 … They lost to Rider 58-49.  Saint Peters will enjoy the automatic bid in the tournament… but had they not won their tourney… they would not have been considered.

The Kentucky Wildcats are disappointed that they are a #2 seed.  Anything short of a #1 is usually a disappointment to a team that has produced 3 1st round NBA draft picks on average every year of the last decade.  The Kentucky Wildcats are usually a young team because every year their Freshman superstar recruits go pro only to be replaced by more freshman superstar recruits. Kentucky was defeated in the SEC tournament by the Tennessee Volunteers in the semi finals.  They have won 7 of their last ten games.  They are only 3-6-1 ATS during that stretch.  They took losses few people saw coming… like to the Arkansas Razorbacks 75-73, Auburn,. LSU, Notre Dame, Duke… In other words this wildly talented team of young players got beat by a collection of quality programs from BIG SCHOOLS.  

Al McMordie was 0-2 in the NBA yesterday, and is 78-52 his last 130. Big Al was 28-19-1 in the Conference Tourneys, and was 4-0-1 in last year's NIT. Here, pick up Big Al's Tuesday NIT Tourney Winner out of a super 18-2 ATS angle. Pick it up right now, and HIT IT HARD! Don't miss out! Get Big Al’s pick!!  It's available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. Also don’t miss Monday’s picks!!  All your NCAA basketball needs for the entire college basketball season!  All your needs in any sport for that matter! 

SPC is 19-11 on the season, but 19-9-1 AT.  They have logged 11 Overs and 18 Unders.  They are 3-0 on neutral courts.

Kentucky is 26-7 on the season, but 14-18-1 ATS.  They have notched 16 Overs and 17 Unders.  They are 2-2 on neutral courts.

Our prediction for Thursday, March 17th is… Kentucky 83 - Saint Peters 60

The bet is that Kentucky wins and covers.  The result of the prediction would be an Over.  I don’t see any way from the numbers that Saint Peters will be able to mount a defense against the superior firepower of Kentucky.  And defense is simply all that Saint Peters brings to this matchup.  The problem is those defensive numbers were built against MAC competition... not SEC monsters. Not perennial Tournament regulars.

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There have been no past matchups between these teams.

Saint Peters is 17-6 ATS after a conference game this season.

Saint Peters is 14-6 ATS after a game where they covered the spread this season.

Kentucky is 1-5 ATS as a neutral court favorite the last 3 seasons.

Saint Peters: No injuries to report

Kentucky:  G CJ Fredrick (lower body) Out for season.

Peacocks: Darryl Banks III, KC Ndefo, Clarence Rupert, Hassan Drame, Matthew Lee

Wildcats: Sahvir Wheeler, Tyty Washington Jr, Keion Brooks Jr, Kellan Grady, Oscar Tshiebwe

Kentucky:  6’9 Forward Oscar Tshiebwe leads the Wildcats in points (17), rebounds (15.9), blocks (1.6), and steals (1.8).  He will be an NBA player.  His teammate Tyty Washington a 6’3 guard is projected to go higher than Oacr in the draft.

Saint Peters does not have a single player of this caliber.  They are simply a good college basketball team from a small school in a small conference.