Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Betting Odds – Patterson rises to give Wildcats a boost

Online betting players are well aware of all of the freshman talent in Lexington at Kentucky, but the Wildcats will need some veteran leadership if they’re going to go deep into March. The Wildcats face a tough test when they head to Vanderbilt this weekend, and for all of the attention surrounding Kentucky’s youngsters, it’s their junior forward that will carry them in a hostile environment.

The Storyline: Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Betting Odds
The No.2 Wildcats (25-1, 10-1) are holding onto the top spot in the SEC, and they needed overtime to escape Mississippi State with an 81-75 win on Tuesday. The No.17 Commodores (20-5, 9-2) almost got caught looking ahead to this game, but managed to win 82-78 at Ole Miss on Thursday. A Vanderbilt win would pull them even with Kentucky, who has a chance to end the Commodores’ home winning streak at 18 games, which would leave the Wildcats with the longest current home streak in the SEC.

Offensive Matchups: Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Betting Odds
Kentucky is still a juggernaut with their ability to go inside and out with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, but Wall still turns the ball over too much, and with this duo, sometimes Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe are left on the fringes of the offense. Patterson scored 19 against Mississippi State, but Bledsoe had just seven points in another string of inconsistent outings.
The Commodores are 16th in the nation in field-goal percentage and they’re 28th in points scored, but they didn’t count on A.J. Ogilvy going for a season-high 27 points against Ole Miss. Vanderbilt is already strong on the perimeter with Jermaine Beal and Brad Tinsley, but the Commodores would match up much better with Kentucky and the other power teams in the country with more games like that from Ogilvy.

Betting Edge: Kentucky

Defensive Matchups: Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Betting Odds
Kentucky’s strength is rebounding, in which they lead the nation, and Cousins now has nine straight games with 10 boards or more. Cousins, Patterson and Wall all had at least 10 rebounds in the Mississippi State game, and this limits their opponents’ second-chance points. Cousins also gets his share of blocks, but he gets his share of fouls, too.
Vanderbilt won’t overwhelm you on defense, although they are 18th in the nation in blocks, but they’re very physical and their group of perimeter defenders will harass you all over the floor. Having forward Andre Walker back in the lineup helps too, especially on the boards against Kentucky.

Betting Edge: Draw

Coaching Matchup: Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Betting Odds
John Calipari has done a great job shielding his team from all the hype surrounding him, and even the rumors of Calipari and Wall butting heads hasn’t derailed the Wildcats. Since losing at South Carolina, the Wildcats have appeared focused on the team, and not on individual accolades.
Kevin Stallings has steered Vanderbilt into the national-title picture, and he’s helped turn Memorial Gymnasium into a fortress for the Commodores. Vanderbilt is the anti-Kentucky: no flash or pizzazz, but they get the job done, and Stallings has a huge hand in that.

Betting Edge: Draw

Betting Prediction: Kentucky vs Vanderbilt Betting Odds
Vanderbilt should be favored in your sportsbook with their 18-game home winning streak, and the Wildcats have dropped six of their last eight in Nashville. The Commodores would love to avenge an 85-72 loss at Kentucky back on January 30th, and Cousins had a huge game with 21 points and 10 boards, including eight on the offensive glass as the Wildcats outrebounded Vanderbilt 39-21. The Commodores are going to need more out of Ogilvy in the post to combat Cousins, but can Walker, who is coming back from injury, keep up with Patterson? This is the matchup Kentucky needs to exploit to come away with the victory.

Washington’s Pick: Kentucky

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