Kentucky Wildcats vs Troy Trojans Prediction & Picks - NCAA Basketball
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by Matt Lowrimore | in NCAA Basketball Picks
Another one of Friday’s first-round games will see the 14th-seeded Troy Trojans take on the 3rd-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the Midwest Region. Let’s take a look at the important match statistics and predictions for this first-round matchup between the Trojans and Wildcats.
Troy enters this game with a record of 23-10, earning an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament by winning the Sun Belt Championship. The Trojans beat Old Dominion in the Sun Belt quarterfinals, James Madison in the Sun Belt semifinals, and Arkansas State in the Sun Belt final. This will be Troy’s 3rd NCAA tournament appearance and their first appearance since the 2016-2017 season.
As for Kentucky, they enter this game with a record of 22-11, earning an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats beat Oklahoma in the second round of the SEC tournament before losing to Alabama in the SEC quarterfinals. This will be Kentucky’s 63rd NCAA tournament appearance and their fourth consecutive appearance.
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Kentucky Wildcats - Troy Trojans Key Points
- Otega Oweh has scored 19+ points in 3 of his last 4 games
- Otega Oweh is shooting 48.9% from the field this season
- Otega Oweh is averaging 20.3 points in his last 4 games
- Otega Oweh has scored 19+ points in 6 of his last 9 games
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Our Kentucky Wildcats vs Troy Trojans Prediction
While Kentucky is a double-digit favorite in this matchup, I am not rushing to back them given that they have been inconsistent at times this season. Instead, we will be looking at a player prop and more specifically Otega Oweh from Kentucky to score 19+ points.
Oweh is Kentucky’s leading scorer this season, averaging 16.2 points per game. However, recently he has been even better, averaging 20.3 points per game over his last 4 games and scoring at least 19 points in 3 of his last 4 games.
Oweh was shut down in his last game against Alabama but it is fair to say that Troy is not on the same level as the Crimson Tide. For that reason, our Troy Trojans vs Kentucky Wildcats prediction is Otega Oweh to score 19+ points.
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