Colgate Raiders vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/11/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Venue:  Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Colgate +30.5, Kentucky -30.5; Over/Under:  157.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Colgate +30.5, Kentucky -30.5; Over/Under:  157.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Colgate +30.5, Kentucky -30.5; Over/Under:  157.5 points

Colgate Raiders:  2-8 (0-0) (10th place, Patriot League)

Kentucky Wildcats:  8-1 (0-0) (5th place, SEC)

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Colgate Raiders:  1-4  last 5

Kentucky Wildcats:  4-1  last 5

Colgate is entering this game with a 2-8 record overall, a 0-0 record in conference games, and they are 1-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Northeastern Huskies in their last game. Brady Cummins led the team in points per game in that game with 15 while Jalen Cox and Nicolas Louis-Jacques each were next on the team with 14. Jalen Cox led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Jalen Cox led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 44.2% from the field, 39.1% from 3-point range, and 76.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 67.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.4 PPG against them. Colgate has an ATS record of 5-5 this season and their O/U record is 4-6.

Kentucky is entering this game with an 8-1 record overall, a 0-0 conference record, and they are 6-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in their last game. Andrew Carr led the team in points in that game with 19 while Jaxson Robinson was next on the team with 18. Jaxson Robinson led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Brandon Garrison led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 45.3% from the field, 28% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 92.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70.7 PPG against them. Kentucky has an ATS record of 5-4 this season and their O/U record is 6-3.

The current betting odds have Kentucky listed as a 30.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Kentucky has looked great in their games this season with their 8-1 record overall which has them right near the top of the SEC and ranked as one of the best in the nation. They are coming off a big win over Gonzaga in their last one and that win is going to give them a ton of momentum going forward. Meanwhile, Colgate has looked terrible in their games this season with their 2-8 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the Patriot League. They have played in some tighter games against bigger schools this year, but they are coming off a loss to Northeastern in their last one and the losses are starting to take a toll on them. They have played a lot of road games this season too and they have looked terrible in those. They are 1-5 in their road games this year while Kentucky is 6-0 in their home games, and this is a game they will have no problem winning by a large margin. The best way to place a bet here is on Kentucky to cover the spread in this game. 

Colgate Kentucky Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, December 11, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Kentucky 84 Colgate 46.

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Colgate Raiders: 15-8 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses. 21-14 1H OVER in non-conference games. 28-17 1H OVER versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game. 10-4 1H OVER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game.

Kentucky Wildcats: 3-11 ATS versus poor foul drawing teams - attempting 18 free throws/game or less. 50-26 OVER in all games. 31-11 OVER in all home games. 26-11 OVER after scoring 85 points or more. 12-3 OVER when playing against a team with a losing record.

Colgate Raiders:  None.

Kentucky Wildcats:  None.

"We certainly had our chances. Northeastern has positioned itself well early in the season with some nice wins to their name. Winning on the road is extremely hard to do in college basketball. Our schedule has been challenging with the circumstances we've faced. Our guys stepped up and fought hard together to make some plays, but every game has its own identity. This was a back-and-forth contest and ultimately we came up short." - Matt Langel after his team’s loss against Northeastern in their game on Sunday.

"Pop rule is courtesy of the great Gregg Popovich, one of the greatest coaches ever to walk on the face of the planet earth. He has a rule on his team where you have to execute on a decision within point-five seconds of the ball - of leather touching your hand. It's really, really important. Every time the ball stops in a player's hands, it allows the defense time to adjust, to get through their rotations. That was a concept that Pop(ovich) really made public, several, maybe decades ago. It's really inherent to what we do, and it's all about actively thinking ahead in the game. There's sometimes where you'll see guys catch the ball, and then turn, and then try and make a decision. But we want guys that are actively considering what's going on ahead of the game and anticipating their next move all the time. It makes us way faster." - Mark Pope on the “pop rule” he has for his team this season. 

J. Cox 

B. Cummins 

P. Jones 

N. Louis-Jacques 

S. Wright

L. Butler 

A. Carr 

O. Oweh 

J. Robinson 

A. Williams

PPG: B. Cummins (11.3)

APG: J. Cox (3.4)

Reb/G: J. Woodward (5.5)

PPG: O. Oweh (15.7)

APG: L. Butler (3.9)

Reb/G: A. Williams (9.3)

Coaches:

Colgate Raiders: Matt Langel (14th season)

Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Pope (1st season)