The rubber match between the third-seeded Kentucky Wildcats (24-11) and the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers (29-7) has a lot more than bragging rights on the line as the winner of this SEC showdown will advance to the Elite Eight.
Kentucky has prevailed in these two teams’ previous matchups. The Wildcats were 5-3 against teams ranked in the AP Top 10 this season, showcasing the strength that the SEC schedule played into propelling the record-setting seven schools into the Sweet 16 this year.
Tennessee is battle-tested heading into this Sweet 16 showdown. The Volunteers have played 14 ranked teams this season, posting a 9-5 record against AP Top 25 teams. Only losses to Vanderbilt and Ole Miss – teams that made the NCAA Tournament – came to unranked opponents this season.
Will the Volunteers or Wildcats earn a spot in the Midwest Region finale on Sunday? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our three favorite player prop bets for this Sweet 16 contest.
Since the Volunteers’ regular season finale against South Carolina, 6-foot-4 guard Chaz Lanier has been a bucket. He’s finished with 20 or more points in four of those six contests, only failing to do so against AP Top 5 teams Auburn and Florida.
The senior guard’s matchup against Kentucky has not been favorable, however. Lanier scored a combined 25 points in his team’s losses, hitting less than 30 percent of his shots. A 3-of-17 performance behind the arc made things worse for the Volunteers’ leading scorer.
Bettors should expect him to snap out of this Bluegrass funk on Friday. In the NCAA Tournament, he’s hit over 47 percent of his shots, including a remarkable 55 percent of his trifecta attempts. Lanier will find his touch on Friday and cover this player prop wager.
Seven-footer Amari Williams is one of several transfers that Kentucky coach Mark Pope recruited to campus last year. The senior center is averaging 10.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks this season.
His impact on the court goes beyond stats, but that’s what bettors are measuring on Friday. In four of his last six outings, the former Drexel standout has finished with 18 or fewer combined points and rebounds.
While his first matchup against Tennessee produced a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, the Volunteers held him to just nine combined points and rebounds in the rematch. Expect Tennessee to produce a similar result on Friday, keeping the center from covering this player prop bet.
Another transfer that paid huge dividends for the Wildcats was 6-foot-7 guard Koby Brea. After four average seasons at Dayton, the senior has exploded onto the scene in Lexington, averaging 11.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per outing for the Wildcats.
Brea has been on particularly strong beyond the three-point line for Kentucky. The senior has connected on 21 of 47 attempts in March, making over 44 percent from long range. That doesn’t include his 6-of-9 showing from behind the arc against Tennessee this season. Expect the guard to continue his hot streak, hitting at least three trifectas for Kentucky in this Sweet 16 contest.
It’s hard to beat a team three times in a single season. That’s an age-old adage that will prove true on Friday when Tennessee avenges its regular season losses to Kentucky.
Expect the Volunteers to have a strong performance, finishing with at least a five-point win over the Wildcats on Friday.