Kentucky and Kansas State meet in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament in hopes of punching their ticket to the Sweet 16 next weekend.
Kansas State has been overachieving all season long under first year head coach Jerome Tang, and now will look to outduel Jon Calipari’s Wildcats, who consistently has Final Four aspirations despite entering this tourney as the No. 6 seed.
How should we bet this near coin flip spread? Let’s check out the odds and find the best bet:
Kentucky vs. Kansas State odds, spread and total
Kentucky vs. Kansas State prediction and pick
These two teams are rated in lock step with one another, Kansas State is No. 23 in KenPom’s rating and Kentucky is right behind them at No. 24, however I see some key edges for the SEC group, namely on the glass.
Kentucky is second in the nation in offensive rebounding rate with reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, who is fresh off a 21-rebound outing against Providence in the first round that included 11 offensive boards. Kansas State’s defense is stout, strong at shutting off the perimeter for teams, but they struggle inside, 130th in two-point percentage and 219th in defensive rebounding rate.
On the other side, the Wildcats have the length to challenge the likes of Markquis Nowell at point guard and limit K-State to one chance on offense with the 52nd best defensive rebounding percentage in the country.
The difference between the two teams is small, but I give the edge to UK, who can generate more chances at the rim and also get to the free throw line in order to keep the upstart Big 12 foe at arm’s length and advance to the Sweet 16.
Track all of Reed’s bets at Betstamp HERE!
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
