Kentucky vs Saint Peter's Prediction: Can the Peacocks Hang Around?
Kentucky vs Saint Peter's Prediction: Can the Peacocks Hang Around?
Kentucky comes into this game as a number 2 overall seed after a very impressive season. They come into this game with a 26-7 record and the worst loss on their schedule is probably to Notre Dame who made the tournament as an at large so they don’t have bad losses. Kentucky was aided greatly this year by the addition of Oscar Tshiebwe who might be the national player of the year. He is averaging 17/15/2/2 on 60% from the field and has been an absolute monster on the glass this season.
Kentucky has been an offensive juggernaut this year as they are ranked 4th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, 4th in offensive rebounding%, 43rd in 2-point%, and 44th in offensive effective FG%. They have been just as good on the defensive side of the ball this year as they are ranked 27th in defensive efficiency, 37th in defensive effective FG%, and 31st in defensive 3-point%. Sahvir Wheeler has also been a great addition as he has been a solid point guard for the Wildcats. He is averaging 10 and 7 on 44% shooting and has a 2.38 to 1 assist to turnover ratio which is very impressive.
Kentucky gets offensive production from many players but the production from Kellan Grady’s outside shooting has been very important. Grady, a transfer from Davidson, is averaging 12/2/1 on 46% shooting and 43% from deep. Grady is a sniper and a huge part of why Kentucky has been able to pull away in so many games this year. Saint Peters is a really good defensive team so it will be interesting to see how well Kentucky can run their offense.
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Saint Peter’s comes into this game as champions of the MAAC. One of my favorite conferences to bet this season and St Peter’s was pretty good to me this year but I think this is a very bad matchup for them. The MAAC is filled with lackluster offenses and really solid defenses. Many MAAC games are extremely low-scoring due to the poor offensive output from teams within that conference and this benefitted Saint Peter’s the most because their whole identity is built on defense. Saint Peter’s is ranked 34th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, 6th in defensive effective FG%, 15th in defensive 3-point%, and 11th in defensive 2-point % so they have been good defensively this year even on a national scale.
With that being said, St. Peter's has been dreadful on offense this season and I have no idea how they are going to generate points on a Kentucky team who is very long and athletic at every position. Saint Peter’s is ranked 259th in adjusted offensive efficiency, 274th in effective FG%, 319th in offensive turnover%, and 317th in offensive 2-point%. Their main strength on offense comes from their ability to knock down outside shots as they are ranked 101st in 3-point shooting and their ability to hit the offensive glass as they are ranked 68th in offensive rebounding%.
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Kentucky Wildcats vs Saint Peter's University Peacocks Prediction
Saint Peter’s played St Johns at the beginning of the year and got blasted by 21 points & were down by 20 at halftime of that game. I really think this game will have a similar game flow as I just can’t see St Peter’s generating enough offense to keep this game close. I don’t think they’ll have an answer for Tshiebwe inside and expect him to have a huge game. Wheeler, Grady, and Tyty Washington are also much more athletic & talented than the guards from Saint Peter’s, and expect them to be able to get to the rim with ease. My lean for this game is Kentucky 1H -10 -115 and Full game -17 -109 as I don’t think Saint Peter’s will be able to keep up offensively. I also lean to the OVER 132 in this game as well as I think Kentucky has a strong edge in transition with their speed and athleticism and should use that to their advantage. My official pick for this game is KENTUCKY 1H -10 -115
Kentucky Wildcats vs Saint Peter's University Peacocks Pick
Kentucky 1H -10 (-115) (Bet $115 to Win $100)
Article Author
Joey has spent the last 6+ years betting on sports with a focus on basketball and baseball. Basketball is his main focus, and not many people know more about mid-major basketball than him. Whether you need advice on a Saturday night primetime game or a Tuesday night back-alley SWAC/MEAC game, Joey is your man.