POINT SPREAD: Opening Line for Kentucky vs. South Carolina

Kentucky has a losing record in SEC play. Now is a good time to have the only team without an SEC win coming to Rupp Arena. Saturday’s matchup with South Carolina sounds like the ideal opportunity to get right, particularly for the Cats’ porous defense, but games are not won on paper. Vegas is handicapping the matchup on paper and this is what it looks like.

The opening line has been released and Kentucky is a 10.5 -point favorite over the South Carolina Gamecocks. The total has been set at 149.5 points.

KenPom gives the Cocks a 15% chance to pull off the upset at Rupp, and predicts an 82-70 final score. Bart Torvik has a similar forecast, calling for an 83-70 Kentucky win.

The Wildcats have lost four of their last five games. This is not a spot where they’ve been successful. Kentucky is 0-6 Against the Spread (ATS) as a favorite against unranked power conference foes. The only outright win was over Louisville back in December.

South Carolina has a .500 ATS record this season, but they’re 5-2 over their last seven games. The under has been the most profitable play in South Carolina games this year, cashing in 14 of 22 games. The over has hit just twice in SEC play.

Despite their struggles, Collin Murray-Boyles has been exceptional. The forward averages 15.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the SEC. The Gamecocks will need a big game from their leader to pull off the upset at Rupp Arena and secure their first SEC win of the season.

Kentucky vs. South Carolina: How to Watch, Listen

• Time: Noon EST
• Television: ESPN2 (John Schriffen, Daymeon Fishback)
• Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• Online Radio: iHeart
• Satellite Radio: Sirius 84
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

You can also follow the game via our new LIVE BLOG on the website, which will begin an hour before tip-off, or join the conversation on KSBoard.

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