Final 4: Kentucky vs Connecticut | Prediction & Pick

Wildcats and Huskies prepare to blast off in Houston

The Wildcats reversed its bad luck from a season ago by pulling off a win over North Carolina in the Round of Eight on Sunday, advancing to its first Final Four since 1998, when it won the national championship. They must now square off against Connecticut, who advanced to its fourth Final Four appearance in Houston on Saturday.

vs.

#4 Kentucky (29-8, 10-6 SEC) vs. #3 Connecticut (30-9, 9-9 Big East)

Date/Time: Saturday, April 2, 8:45 PM EST
Venue: Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX
Broadcast: CBS

Money Line: Kentucky -145, UConn +125
Spread: Kentucky -2 ½
Over/Under: 140

Connecticut has won nine straight games and are 12-0 this season in tournament games (3-0 Maui, 5-0 Big East, 4-0 NCAA) after holding Arizona’s Derrick Williams in check while Kemba Walker and his Huskies escaped a late Wildcats rally en route to a  65-63 victory in the West regional last Saturday in Anaheim.

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The duo of Walker and freshman Jeremy Lamb has combined to score 70 percent of UConn’s points in the last three games and this one was no different. Walker scored 20 points, and added 19 and UConn earned its second Final Four berth in three years.

The Huskies are the last team standing from the Big East’s 11 NCAA entrants. After going 9-9 in regular-season conference play, they’ve done more than fans and critics might have expected just three weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Kentucky did a good job slowing down North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes, and Jon Henson, allowing them to beat the Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament for the first time in three meetings.

Brandon Knight controlled the game for Kentucky, coming up with one big shot after another including a 3-pointer with less than three minutes remaining that broke a 67-67 tie that allowed the Wildcats to roll to a 76-69 victory.

Knight finished with a game-high 22 points, including five three pointers, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out four assists.

Kentucky got a very well balanced effort offensively with all five starters notching double figures including DeAndre Liggins who added 12 points that included a crushing 3-pointer from the wing with 37 seconds remaining.

The ‘Cats  shot 12 of 22 from deep  after making just 17 3-pointers combined in the first three games of the tournament.

To keep their incredible run going, Kentucky will need to get another solid performance from Knight as he goes head-to-head with Walker.

UConn met Kentucky on its way to the Maui Invitational title on Nov. 24, defeating the Wildcats, 84-67.

The odds makers have the Kentucky Wildcats as a -2.5 point favorite with an over/under of 140.

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Matt’s Free Prediction: The Wildcats play a frenzied fast-paced style that we have come to expect from Calipari-coached teams over the years. Kentucky has more size and is currently playing insane defense. That’s hard to beat, especially if Knight has another extraordinary game.

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