From PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thursday, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will take on the Kentucky Wildcats. The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are the 14th seed and are 23-11 on the season. Oakland won the Horizon Conference regular season, and also the conference tournament. The title game was over Milwaukee on March 12th. The Golden Grizzlies have won 8 out of their last 10 games.
For Kentucky Wildcats come into the game seeded 3rd in the South Region. The Wildcats are 23-9 on the season. Kentucky lost in the SEC Conference Tournament on Friday to Texas A+M. The Wildcats are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
The winner of this game will take on the winner of Texas Tech and North Carolina State. The Wildcats come into this game at -13.5.
Oakland Golden Grizzlies
The pride of the Horizon Conference has not lost in March yet. Their last loss came to Wright State on February 25th. The Golden Grizzlies scored 78.7 points per game during their conference tournament run. On the season, Oakland is scoring 76.4 per game.
The top scorer for the Golden Grizzlies this season has been Trey Townsend. He is scoring 16.9 points per game. Next up for Oakland has been Blake Lampman. Lampman is at 13.2 points per game, while Jack Gohlke is at 12.2.
Kentucky Wildcats
Coach Calipari and his Wildcats had a major struggle mid season. But, heading into the SEC Tournament, the Wildcats had won five straight games. The Wildcats appear to be figuring it out on the defensive end, which was a huge part of why they were struggling. Kentucky allowed 94. 103 and 89 in their three losses in four games.
Antonio Reeves and Rob Dillingham are dangerous for Kentucky. Reeves, who started his College Basketball career at Illinois State, is leading the team with 20 points per game. Dillingham is next for the Wildcats, with 15.4 points per game. Reed Sheppard is at 12.8 points and 4.5 assists per game.
Lopsided Tournament History
This is the first time since 2011 that the Oakland Golden Grizzlies are in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Grizzlies have lost three straight tournament games since their first win in school history back in the Opening Round of 2005. In 2011, Oakland fell by four points to Texas.
For Kentucky, they have a different tournament history. The Wildcats have won eight national titles. Their most recent was in 2012. In the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky is coming off losing in the second round last season. The Wildcats beat Providence in Round One, and then fell to Kansas State in the second round. In 2022, the Wildcats were upset by 15th seed St. Peter’s.
Wildcats Win; Grizzlies Cover
The Wildcats are going to win this game over Oakland, but the Golden Grizzlies are going to battle. The Golden Grizzlies are going to make the Wildcats sweat a little bit in this game. When push comes to shove, Oakland is going to cover the spread.
Take Kentucky to win a competitive game, but Oakland +13.5 is the bet to make. Enjoy the game and best of luck with all your NCAA Tournament betting!
