Check out our free Providence vs Kentucky pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Greensboro. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Providence vs Kentucky Pick & Preview: Friday, March 17th Betting Odds

Friars vs Wildcats Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Providence Friars at Kentucky Wildcats
  • Where: Greensboro at Greensboro Coliseum
  • Date: Friday, March 17th
  • Betting Odds: Providence +4.5, PROV +147 | UK -182 O/U 144.0

Friars Preview:

Coming into today’s matchup, the Providence Friars are in the middle of a 3 game losing streak and have an overall record of 21-11. On the road, the Friars will be playing their 14th game of the season, having gone 6-8. So far, the Friars have been the underdog 12 times, going 4-8 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +4.5 underdogs on the spread.

Bryce Hopkins comes into today’s game as the Friars’ leading scorer at 16.06 points per contest. Not only has Hopkins been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Providence’s top rebounder at 8.47 boards per contest. Behind Hopkins, the team has benefited from the strong play of Ed Croswell, who is second on the team in scoring at 13.19 points per game. Overall, he has hit 60.5% of his shots and is adding 7.56 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Providence this season, as they are currently ranked 179th in college basketball at 71.8 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Friars’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.3%, placing them 225th in the NCAA.

Wildcats Preview:

Kentucky will take the floor against the Friars with an overall record of 21-11. So far this season, Kentucky has played 23 games at home, sitting with a record of 15-8. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Wildcats as the -4.5 point favorites. The Wildcats have been favored 25 times, going 17-8 straight up.

Oscar Tshiebwe comes into today’s game as the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 16.47 points per contest. Not only has Tshiebwe been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Kentucky’s top rebounder at 13.13 boards per contest. Behind Tshiebwe, the team has benefited from the strong play of Antonio Reeves, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.41 points per game. Overall, he has hit 42.9% of his shots and is adding 2.06 boards per game.

Kentucky comes into today’s matchup vs Providence, looking to continue their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 79.5 points per game. Through 32 games, they have hit 48.4% of their field goal attempts. In terms of pace, the Wildcats have preferred to slow the game down, ranking 456th in possessions per game.

Free Spread Prediction: Kentucky Wildcats -4.5

Leading into this matchup, the Kentucky Wildcats are currently the favorites to pick up the win, with a spread sitting at -4.5. According to our analysis, we anticipate a strong offensive effort from the Wildcats’ shooters to be enough to pull out the win and cover the spread. For the season, Kentucky has a field goal percentage of 48.4, good for 30th in college basketball. In addition, look for the team to add to their trend of covering the spread on the road. Over their last 10 road matchups, they are 6-4 vs the spread.