Do you smell what Greg is cooking?
By Greg Dempson
Kentucky Wildcats at Kansas Jayhawks
Saturday’s marquee match-up has the tip set for 7:00 ET, (game #622) and for the first time this season, the Kentucky Wildcats are a road dog as they travel to the Allen Fieldhouse to tangle with the revenge minded Kansas Jayhawks.
Since 1998 these two teams have met but eight times with Kentucky winning five of those eight contests straight up with the ATS results an even 4–4. Kansas was taken out to the woodshed last season, (72–40,) by Kentucky and three current Jayhawks remember that embarrassing defeat all too well, Wayne Selden Junior, Frank Mason III and Perry Ellis.
Pinnacle Sports: Kentucky Wildcats +5 vs Kansas Jayhawks -5
Kentucky isn’t as dominant a team this season and that’s evident in their #19 ranking, (as their backcourt isn’t nearly as strong,) vs. a ranking of #7 for Kansas. Since December 3, when reviewing their six contests away from Rupp Arena, the Wildcats are 2–4 straight up while laying wood in all six contests. In their two non conference games, they lost straight up at UCLA laying 6.5 points, (87–77) as well as laying 9.5 points at Ohio State, (74–67,) in a neutral site match-up They’ve split their four SEC road contests winning vs. Alabama and Arkansas while losing at LSU and Auburn.
Tip–Ins
· The Wildcats are 2–9 ATS in their last 11 non conference contests.
· Kansas is 4–0 ATS in their last four non conference games.
· The favorite as well as the host team is 5–0 ATS in their previous five meetings.
· The Jayhawks are 46–24 ATS after allowing 80 points or more since 1997.
· Following a contest whereby the Wildcats held a team to a shooting percentage of 33% or lower, the team is 17–34 ATS under coach Calipari.
· Jayhawks head coach Self is 25–11 ATS in home games off a loss against a conference rival in all games he has coached since 1997.
· Coach Calipari is 34–55 ATS and -26.50-units after allowing 65 points or less in two straight games.
· Coach Self is 46–21 ATS and +22.90-units after playing a game as an underdog in all games he has coached.
· Calipari is 38–60 ATS and -28.0-units after a win by 15 points or more as Kentucky’s head coach.
· From game 16 out, coach Self is 26–12 ATS in home games vs. teams that average 77+ points per game in all games he has coached since 1997 winning by an average score of 83.1 vs. 70.2 PPG.
· The Jayhawks are on a cold ATS streak and I note that when we play on favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points who have failed to cover in six or seven of their last 8 contests ATS and playing a game whereby each team is winning 80% or more of their games, we are 75–37 = 67% ATS since 1997.
Kentucky vs Kansas Pick
My Every Edge College Game of the Night is on the Kansas Jayhawks at –5 or less.
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