NCAA Tournament: Kentucky vs. Houston fearless prediction and game preview.
Broadcast
Date: Friday, March 29
Game Time: 10:00 pm ET
Venue: Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
Network: TBS
All You Really Need To Know About Kentucky (29-6)
(SEC), NCAA NET Rank: 6. Midwest 2-seed
It wasn’t pretty, and it took a whole lot of work in the second half, but the Kentucky defense did a fantastic job of closing out on the amazing Wofford three point shooters – especially Fletcher Magee – in the 62-56 victory.
The Wildcats might not have been explosive enough, but they nailed their free throws – hitting 17-of-20 – to overcome a rough day from three. There are a whole lot of flaws, there’s no depth whatsoever, and they’re never going to beat anyone in a three point contest, but they own the boards and they know how to do just enough to win.
But for this to work, and to make any more noise, PJ Washington has to be back and healthy enough to be his normal self.
All You Really Need To Know About Houston (32-3)
(American Athletic), NCAA NET Rank: 4. Midwest 3-seed
The Cougars were just okay against Ohio State, and they still managed to win by 15. The defense was strong against the Buckeye outside shooting, the inside points were there, and the turnovers were kept to a minimum.
Houston will applies as much defensive pressure on the perimeter as anyone left in the tournament, it forces a ton of steals – 12 against the Buckeyes – and they hit the boards hard.
Yeah, the Cougars commit a ton of fouls, and yeah, it doesn’t force a ton of takeaways even with all of the steals, but there isn’t a better defense in the country against the three. However …
What’s Going To Happen
Kentucky doesn’t really care about the three.
The Wildcats make a ton of free throws, and again, Houston loves to foul. The disparity on the line will be the difference late for UK, but both defenses will make this ugly for long stretches.
One good scoring run will be enough to get out alive, and the Cats will come up with it.
Fearless Prediction & Line
Kentucky 68, Houston 65
Line: Kentucky -2.5, o/u: 134.5
ATS Confidence: 1.5
5: Watching games by Vegas pool working on fruity drink No. 3
1: Watching game online while doing TPS reports in your cubicle
