March Madness Betting Preview: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Kentucky Wildcats
 West Virginia Mountaineers (30-6, 16-19 ATS) |
 |
 Kentucky Wildcats (35-2, 20-15 ATS) |
It’ll be just the second clash of the NCAA basketball betting campaign which pits two 30+ win teams against each other when the #2 West Virginia Mountaineers and #1 Kentucky Wildcats meet at the Carrier Dome for the right to go the Final Four in Indianapolis. The Big East Tournament champions have carried the torch for this conference well, winning three games by at least nine points apiece (77-50 vs. #15 Morgan State, 68-59 vs. #10 Missouri, & 69-56 vs. #11 Washington). Kentucky has been the most dominant team in this field of 65 so far, as it has averaged beating #16 East Tennessee State, #9 Wake Forest, and #12 Cornell by over 25 points per game.
West Virginia was a healthy team for the majority of the season, but now, injuries are starting to mount at an inopportune time. The Mountaineers have already lost G Darryl Bryant for the season, and now the heart and soul of their team, F Da’Sean Butler has been banged up as well. He suffered a nasty looking fall in the second half against the Huskies on Thursday, and he’s listed on the injury report with a hand injury, but is expected to suit up.
The scariest part about the Wildcats is that they really haven’t played their best basketball yet. Between G John Wall, F Patrick Patterson, and F DeMarcus Cousins, there’s only one 20+ point game between them in three March Madness betting battles, which is uncharacteristic for these guys. The 62-point effort against Cornell wasn’t exactly a work of art, but HC John Calipari’s defense was smothering, allowing the previous red hot Big Red to shoot just 33.3 percent from the floor and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc.
If Butler has any real signs of problems with his hand, this could be a very, very long game for HC Bob Huggins’ crew. We’re fully expecting to see the stars come out for Big Blue at some point, and what better moment to do that than with a trip to the Final Four on the line. There just isn’t a guard on the floor that is going to be able to stick with Wall, and even though the battle on the inside may ultimately be a stalemate, the super freshman and Naismith Award candidate should be the difference-maker.
Selection: Kentucky Wildcats
The Big East has had no luck against the Wildcats in recent years. Kentucky is 13-3-1 ATS in its L/17 clashes with the nation’s strongest conference. Big Blue is -4 in this NCAA Tournament betting affair. For all of your Elite 8 betting spreads, totals, moneylines, and props, sign up for an account at Diamond Sportsbook!
Related Sports Betting Articles
