Online March Madness betting is winding down as there are only four teams who made it to Houston, and one matchup features two “blueblood” programs that have surprised some by making it to this point. Connecticut was left for dead before a run in the Big East tournament carried them to this point, while Kentucky has sacrificed talent for maturity after sending five players to the first round of the NBA draft.
UConn Kentucky Betting – Saturday, 8:45 PM ET
The Huskies are now 12-0 in tournaments this season after a 74-67 win over San Diego State to win the West region, racing out to a nine-point halftime lead before holding off the Aztecs. Kemba Walker showed that he may be the best player in the country with a 36-point performance, while Jeremy Lamb continued his solid play with 24 points for the Huskies, who shot 47.4% from the field and hit eight of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc. March Madness betting players have been counting out UConn since the stretch run, but after winning in Maui earlier in the season, the Huskies rolled through the Big Tournament and now, here they are, in the Final Four for the fourth time since 1999.
The Wildcats return to the Final Four for the first time since 1998 in a 76-69 victory over North Carolina to take the East region, and they were spectacular from long range, going 12-of-22. Brandon Knight had another big game with 22 points, while Josh Harrelson and DeAndre Liggins scored 12 points apiece for the Wildcats, who may not have the talent of last year’s squad, but the 2011 edition avenged last year’s loss to West Virginia, and they’re further in the Tournament than their highly touted predecessors. Harrelson has been a massive factor with his play in the post.
Those checking out college basketball scores will see the Wildcats as a 2.5-point favorite against the Huskies, who are 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS in three meetings with Kentucky since 2006, when UConn came away with an 87-83 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They also met this season, and the Wildcats got spanked 84-67 in the final of the Maui Invitational as Walker lit them up for 29 points. Expect the Wildcats to be fired up to avenge that loss, especially Knight as he was awful, going 3-of-15 for six points and he missed all eight of his three-point attempts. The Huskies have had a great run, but they have to run out of gas sometime, and we think Knight will get the best of his matchup against Walker, and not only that, Kentucky has more weapons on the perimeter. This would also be a good time for Terrence Jones to snap out of his slump. Go with the Kentucky Wildcats in your sports betting picks.
