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Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats CBB Betting Predictions & Preview

Louisville vs Kentucky NCAA Basketball Gambling Lines

The sixth-ranked Louisville Cardinals will make the trip to over to Lexington and to legendary Rupp Arena where they will take on their in-state rivals, the 18th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in a matchup of the last two national champions.  [ad-4468020]

6 Louisville Cardinals (11-1) at 18 Kentucky Wildcats (9-3)
Date: Saturday, December 28, 2013
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Venue: Rupp Arena
City: Lexington, Kentucky
Spread: Louisville -2.5
Money Line: Louisville -145, Kentucky +125
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Matchup Stats | ATS Insider Preview

The teams meet with impressive base records, but neither side has looked especially impressive when making the step up in competition, as Louisville fell to North Carolina, while Kentucky has lost to the three toughest opponents on their schedule.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari has tried to downplay this game when speaking with the media, likely to take some of the pressure off of his team. Kentucky has won 30 of 45 all-time matchups.

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The Cardinals won last year’s meeting between the teams, 80-77 in Louisville. Guard Russ Smith scored 21 points in that game, and leads the Cardinals again this season with 16.8 points per game, also pacing the team in assists with 5.0 per game. He played a big role in their last win, an 85-56 win over Florida International.

Smith led the team with 18 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the floor and 4 of 7 shooting from beyond the arc in the game. Fellow guard Wayne Blackshear scored 13 points, hitting 3 of 7 shots from three. As a team, Louisville shot 48.1 percent from the field and 54.2 percent from behind the three-point line.
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They also held Florida International to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and 29.4 percent shooting from three. With the win, the Cardinals’ 11 wins have come by an average of 29.2 points.

Kentucky had little trouble in their last game as well, defeating Belmont 93-80.

Star forward Julius Randle scored a career-high 29 points in the win, hitting on 8 of 10 shots from the floor and 13 of 19 free throw attempts, adding 10 boards. The double-double was the ninth of the season for Randle who now has five games with 20 or more points.

He’s averaging 11.3 rebounds per game, with nearly four of them coming at the offensive end. Center Willie Cauley-Stein added 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting, racking up seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.

While Randle may get all the attention, Cauley-Stein has quietly played some strong basketball for the Wildcats this season, blocking 50 shots and hitting on 64.4 percent of his shots from the field.

Kentucky allowed Belmont to hit on 46.9 percent of their shots from the field and 36.7 percent of their shots from three, but the Wildcats did outrebound the Bruins by a healthy margin, 42-25.

The home team is 3-0 SU in the last three meetings, and 5-1 SU in the last six meetings between these teams.

The play: Kentucky ML +125

By Gino Bottero

Gino is new to CappersPicks.com but NOT new to the online gambling industry.He's got an AMAZING knack for discovering hidden gems when it comes to betting on sports. Stick with him as he predicts when a team will have a letdown! Check Gino out for NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB betting articles all season long!