Kentucky vs. Troy: Picks, Predictions and Odds

We have an interesting matchup on our hands on Friday in the men's tournament round of 64, when Kentucky Wildcats will take on the upset-minded Troy Trojans in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Champions of the Sun Belt Conference, Troy is a team that is going to need to rely on its defense to keep it in this game against a Kentucky offense that is one of the best units in the nation.

As for the Wildcats, Mark Pope’s team is well-equipped to make a postseason run in his first season, even while missing a couple of key contributors in this game. 

Are the Trojans well-equipped to pull off the upset, or will Kentucky survive and advance to the round of 32?

Let’s get into our expert’s Kentucky vs Troy picks, predictions and best bets for this round of 64 matchup on Friday.

Kentucky vs. Troy betting picks and predictions

Kentucky -11.5 (-105)

Kentucky enters this game as double-digit favorites and rightly so, as the Wildcats had the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation this season, averaging over 85 points per game on the year.

This is a dynamic unit that plays with pace and can shoot threes better than almost any other team, particularly if elite sharpshooter Koby Brea is in the zone.

Troy made the field of 68 by winning the Sun Belt Tournament and it’s not the offense that has been helping the Trojans win games this season. In fact, the Trojans defense is very solid at the rim (18th in two-point defense), despite struggling mightily on the defensive glass. 

From a matchup perspective, it’s tough to see the Trojans keeping this one within the spread.

After all, Kentucky is loaded with talent, as six players are averaging double-digits, even without second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson in the lineup due to a season-ending injury. 

On the other side of the ball, the Kentucky defense continues to be an issue and it remains to be seen if Troy can ultimately exploit those weaknesses.

With that said, it’s hard to back the Trojans given that they’ll be playing against a team that can speed up the game and make it a bit too frantic for this slow-paced, offensively challenged Troy team.

All things considered, Kentucky -11.5 at -110 to win and cover is our best bet of the Friday slate.

Over 151.5 Total Points (-110)

Given that the best plan for Kentucky to win this game while covering this double-digit spread is one where the Wildcats win with their offense, our game totals bet for this matchup is on Over 151.5 at -110. 

Much has been made of the perceived advantage that Kentucky will have in the backcourt in this game and the Wildcats should have no trouble scoring against a Troy defense that struggles mightily at defending the three-point line and keeping opponents out of the lane. 

However, while the Troy offense is nothing to write home about (160th in adjusted efficiency per Barttorvik), the Trojans should still see some success against a Wildcats defense that is frankly atrocious at the rim (288th in two-point defense) and doesn’t force turnovers to halt the opposing offense in transition. 

It wouldn’t shock our expert in the slightest if the Trojans were able to put up around 65-70 points while the Wildcats scored more than 80 points of their own en route to a double-digit win, which would send this one over the total in the process.

All things considered, the Over is the only way our expert can look in this one.

Read more College Basketball betting picks and predictions on site.

Kentucky vs. Troy odds

Kentucky	-750 ML
Troy	+525 ML
Spread	Kentucky -11.5
Game Total	O/U 151.5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.