Kentucky (-1.5) vs UAB - 6:45pm Pacific - Game #835-836 - Friday

There is no question that the Wildcats played their best basketball down the stretch.  They went 6-3 in their final 9 games with a big road win at Tennessee and a close loss at LSU along the way.  Kentucky features one of the deepest teams in the country with 10 players averaging double figure minutes and as many as 12 different players may see action in a given game.  This combined with leading scorer Randolph Morris missing the first 14 games of the season made it difficult for Tubby Smith to determine his best lineups and for the players to develop team chemistry.  They also had to deal with some minor injury issues along the way.  The Cats are ready to roll now and I look for them to be well prepared for UAB after being upset by the Blazers in the NCAA tournament two years ago as the #1 seed.  UAB might just be the most overrated team in the tournament.  Not only did they lose one of their top players to injury in midseason, but the Blazers have only one quality win all year.  Their 6 point home win over Memphis is what got them in but that game was a complete setup as Memphis was not playing well at the time and UAB was sky high for the game.  They still needed a few breaks to go their way to pull out the win.  Memphis quickly got revenge in the C-USA championship game with an easy win two weeks later.  UAB was also far less impressive in their away games where they went 7-5 with zero quality wins.  Kentucky fans always travel well and the Cats have several solid performances away from home under their belt.  The Wildcats have the needed depth and quality guard play to handle UAB's style of play.  Give the small number.

 

RAS Official Play:  Kentucky  -1.5  1 UNIT