Georgia Bulldogs vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 1/8/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Georgia Bulldogs vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 8, 2022

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV: SECN

Rupp Arena is the site where the Kentucky Wildcats (11-3) will meet the Georgia Bulldogs (5-9) on Saturday.

The Georgia Bulldogs played Texas A&M and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-79 in their last game. Georgia ended the game having earned a 51.8% field goal percentage (29 of 56) and made 7 of their 20 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs converted 14 of their 16 tries for a rate of 87.5%. When discussing rebounding, they collected a total of 27 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 15 assists for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In reference to defending, Georgia allowed 50.0% from the floor on 30 out of 60 shooting. Texas A&M dished out 13 assists and had 12 steals for this contest. Additionally, Texas A&M had 30 boards (13 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Texas A&M ended up shooting 71.4% from the free throw line by knocking down 10 of their 14 attempts. They made 11 of their 23 tries from beyond the arc. In the matter of fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 9 and Texas A&M recorded 15 fouls.

Kario Oquendo is someone who came through for the matchup. He finished with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 36 minutes and also snagged 5 rebounds. He finished the contest at 75.0% from the field but didn't record an assist.

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Georgia comes into this matchup with a record of 5-9 on the season. They currently have an average of 70.6 points per outing (217th in D-1) on 44.2% from the field. The Bulldogs are shooting 31.2% on shots beyond the perimeter (93 of 298) and 71.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Georgia is pulling in 35.4 rebounds per game and is sitting with 202 dimes for the season, which is 96th in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession via turnover 13.8 times per contest and as a group they commit 14.7 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Bulldogs are able to force 11.1 turnovers per game while drawing 17.7 personal fouls. They relinquish 34.0% on 3-point attempts and they rank 284th in college hoops in points per game allowed (73.1). The Bulldogs defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 44.6% (380 of 852) and they concede 34.2 boards per contest as a team. They rank 323rd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 209 conceded this season.

For their last game, the Kentucky Wildcats walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 65-60 when they played LSU. The Wildcats were able to collect 25 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 35 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 12 times, while recording 8 steals for the contest. LSU committed 20 fouls in the game which took the Wildcats to the free throw line for 20 shots. They were able to bury 10 of those for a clip of 50.0%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, Kentucky buried 8 of their 24 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Wildcats finished the game shooting 21 for 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 36.2%. The Wildcats allowed LSU to knock down 24 of 57 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.1% in this game. They finished 39.1% from three-point range by shooting 9 of 23 and ended up going 8 of 15 from the free throw line (53.3%). In regard to rebounding, Kentucky permitted LSU to pull down 35 in all (5 on the offensive side).

Jacob Toppin was important for the Wildcats in the matchup. He made 6 out of 9 for this contest for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and tallied 8 rebounds. He accumulated 14 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and earned 2 dimes for the game.

Kentucky has a record of 11-3 so far this year. As an offense, the Wildcats are shooting 48.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 15th in the country. Kentucky has accounted for 1,151 pts on the year (82.2 per contest) and they snag 44.5 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 17.1 times per contest (20th in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 12.2 times per game. The Wildcats have committed 13.3 fouls per contest and they connect on 71.9% from the free throw line.

The Kentucky defense concedes 28.1% on shots from behind the 3-point line (81 of 288) and their opponents are connecting on 70.0% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 10.0 dimes and 28.7 rebounds per game, which is ranked 35th and 9th in college basketball. The Wildcats on the defensive side of the court are 31st in college basketball in PPG given up with 60.8. They are forcing 12.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 38.2% from the field (21st in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Kentucky

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