Oakland vs. Kentucky odds: Win probability, final score prediction in NCAA Tournament

Kentucky will look to take advantage of its 3-seed status as it battles 14-seed Oakland in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

The Wildcats saw an early exit from the SEC Tournament after losing to Texas A&M 97-87 in the quarterfinal round. While UK awaited its fate within the March Madness bracket, Oakland went on to win its first-ever Horizon League Tournament title, defeating Milwaukee, 83-76. It’s the fourth time the Golden Grizzlies have made the tournament in school history, and are still looking for its first win during the Big Dance.

Whoever emerges victorious will battle the winner between 6-seed Texas Tech and 11-seed NC State on Saturday.

Odds for Oakland vs. Kentucky

Coming into the game, Kentucky is a 13.5-point favorite over Oakland, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Wildcats are currently listed at -1200 for the money line as of Wednesday evening, while the Golden Grizzlies are sitting at +720.

The point total for the game is set at 162.5 points, as the Wildcats are one of the highest-scoring teams in the country this season.

Final score predictions for Oakland vs. Kentucky

BPI Predicted winner: Kentucky
BPI Predicted point differential: 14.3
BPI Win probability (for Kentucky): 89.0 percent
BPI Matchup Quality: 67.9

ESPN’s BPI is a model designed to provide a statistical comparison between two teams and predict future success. It agrees with Vegas about what to expect from this game. Heading into the game, BPI is projecting a point differential of 14.3 points in Kentucky’s favor. It also gives the Wildcats an 89.0 percent chance to win the game over the Golden Grizzlies.

BPI also gives this game a matchup quality score of 67.9, which ranks No. 13 in quality scores predicted for the day out of 16.

KenPom Predicted final score: Kentucky 87, Oakland 75
KenPom Win probability (for Kentucky): 87 percent

KenPom is another predictive system for college basketball. It’s designed to show how strong a team is at a given time, without taking factors like injuries into account. For Thursday’s game between Kentucky and Oakland, KenPom agrees with Vegas’ and BPI’s decision to have the Wildcats blow past the Golden Grizzlies in their first-round matchup.

How to watch Oakland vs. Kentucky

Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS, Prime Video (streaming)
Location: PPG Paints Arena — Pittsburgh, PA

You can watch the tournament live on Prime Video, add on your favorite channels and watch at home or on your phone and laptop at work!

The opening tip between the Wildcats and Golden Grizzlies is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET and will air live on CBS from the PPG Paints Arena. It is also going to be available to fans on streaming through Prime Video.