The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Kentucky Wildcats clash at the Colonial Life Arena this Tuesday night. This is a hugely important match in the Southeastern, with both teams needing the win as they attempt to keep pace with Auburn at the top. The Gamecocks have a solid home record. But it will be severely put to the test by Kentucky. Here, we look ahead to the match and tell you the best bets to make in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What; 2023/24 NCAA Men’s Basketball
- Who; South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats
- Where; Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
- When; Tuesday, January 23rd 2024
- Tip-Off; 7 pm ET
Hosts, the South Carolina Gamecocks, sit fifth in the Southeastern Conference. They have an impressive 9-1 home record. But after a recent defeat, they are on a winning streak of just one. The visitors, the Kentucky Wildcats, sit second in the SEC and are on a winning streak of two. Away from home, the Wildcats’ record reads 2-1.
A win for the home side will see the Gamecocks go level with the Wildcats in the Conference. A win for the Wildcats will see them open up a gap between themselves and the Gamecocks. Kentucky also needs the win to keep pace with the unbeaten Auburn Tigers at the top of the Conference table.
Latest betting to win the Southeastern
Next, let’s look at how the recent form has affected the betting to win the Southeastern Conference.
The Auburn Tigers (5-0) sit at the top of the table and at the top of the betting to win the Conference. Auburn is +120 with the best NCAA betting sites. The Tigers are on a winning streak of 11 and are next in action on Wednesday when they travel to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide.
Their closest rivals in the betting are the Tennessee Volunteers (4-1), who are +200. Alabama is the third favorite at +350, with the Wildcats at +600. If you are feeling optimistic, the Gamecocks are +7500.
Betting to win the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
In the latest NCAA Men’s Championship, the best college basketball betting sites make the Purdue Boilermakers favorite to win the Championship at +850.
Second in the betting is the defending champions, the UConn Huskies, who are +900. Houston is +1000, with Kentucky and Arizona at +1200. Also in the running to win the NCAA Championship this year is the North Carolina Tar Heels at +1400, with Tennessee and Auburn at +1600.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats Match Betting
The latest NCAAB betting lines have the Wildcats as the favorites to win. On the money line, Kentucky is -200, and South Carolina is +165.
On the handicap spread, the Gamecocks are receiving a 4.5-point advantage. To win with the spread, South Carolina is -105 with BetOnline. To win and cover the 4.5-point spread, Kentucky is -110 with Bovada.
The total points is set at 155.5. Over and under are both -110. More betting options are available on our college basketball odds table. For our odds, we only use the top-rated NCAA basketball betting sites.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats; Latest Form
In the SEC, South Carolina has a 3-2 record. Overall, the Gamecocks are 15-3 this season. The breakdown is 9-1 at home and 3-2 on the road.
In their last outing, the Gamecocks won 77-64 away at Arkansas last Saturday. B.J. Mack was the star of the show, scoring 18 points for the visitors. South Carolina was fast out of the blocks in the match, racing into a 12-point lead (39-27) over the Razorbacks at the halfway point.
From then on, it was all about game management. Arkansas was always going to fight back. But the Gamecocks stood up to the second-half fightback and secured a 13-point win.
The win was the best way for South Carolina to bounce back after suffering a 74-69 defeat at home to the Georgia Bulldogs in their previous match.
In their last five matches, the Gamecocks have lost three and won two. The defeat to the Bulldogs is their only home defeat of the season.
The Kentucky Wildcats have an overall record of 14-3 this season. At home, they are 10-1. And on the road, the Wildcats are 2-1. In the SEC, their record is 4-1.
The Wildcats have won eight of their last nine fixtures. Their only defeat in this run came away to the Texas A&M Aggies (97-92) just over a week ago.
Probably the most impressive victory in that run of results was the 87-84 win over UNC in Georgia back in mid-December. Kentucky’s most recent result was their 105-96 home win over Georgia on Saturday.
Big Blue Saturday night win in @Rupp_Arena.
Highlights: Kentucky 105, Georgia 96 🎥 pic.twitter.com/g9RYkvl5tU
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 21, 2024
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Picks
The Wildcats 9-point home win over the Georgia Bulldogs is a good marker for this match. In the Bulldogs match before the defeat to the Wildcats, they secured a 5-point victory over the Gamecocks at the venue for tonight’s fixture.
How significant are the matches against the Bulldogs? Well, with Georgia not expected to win the SEC (+10000), losses against them don’t look great on paper. Especially home-court losses.
As a result, we are happy to make a win for the Kentucky Wildcats, our betting pick. Is it worth backing the Wildcats to cover the 4.5-point spread? Yes, we believe it is.
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