Providence Friars vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 3/17/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Providence Friars vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Friday, March 17, 2023

Location: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Providence (+3)

Greensboro Coliseum is the location where the Kentucky Wildcats (21-11) will attempt to defeat the Providence Friars (21-11) on Friday. Kentucky is 3-point favorites. The total is 144.5.

The Providence Friars faced Connecticut and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 73-66 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Friars ended up finishing with 12 while Connecticut racked up 16 personal fouls. They also knocked down 13 of 30 shots from distance. Connecticut ended up shooting 80.0% at the free throw line by converting 4 of 5 tries. Additionally, Connecticut grabbed 32 boards (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Connecticut recorded 21 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. When it comes to the defense, Providence let their opponent shoot 52.8% from the field on 28 of 53 shooting. They also distributed 13 assists for the game in addition to forcing the other team into 18 turnovers and having 12 steals. Concerning hauling in rebounds, they compiled 22 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Friars made 12 of 17 attempts for a percentage of 70.6%. Providence finished the game having earned a 41.4% FG percentage (24 out of 58) and made 6 of their 23 3-point shots.

Bryce Hopkins is someone who was a factor for this contest. He went 41.7% from the field and also recorded 3 assists. He was on the court for 40 mins played and collected 7 rebounds. He ended up scoring 16 points on 5 of 12 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Picks Tonight

Providence heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 21-11 for the campaign. They are averaging 78.1 pts per game (36th in the country) while connecting on 45.9% from the floor. The Friars are hitting 35.1% on shots from distance (213 of 606) and 74.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Providence is pulling in 38.3 boards per game and has accounted for 470 assists this season, which has them ranked 83rd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.8 times per game and as a group they commit 15.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Friars have forced 11.8 turnovers per game and they draw 18.3 personal fouls. They are surrendering 33.9% on 3-pointers while they are 219th in college hoops in opponents points per game (71.3). The Friars are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.3% (849 of 1,917) and they concede 31.9 boards per game as a basketball team. They rank 182nd in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 409 surrendered so far this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Kentucky Wildcats went home defeated by a final of 80-73 when they played Vanderbilt. When talking about team rebounding, Kentucky permitted Vanderbilt to snag 23 in total (4 on the offensive glass). They finished 40.0% from three-point range by going 10 of 25 and ended up shooting 18 of 20 at the free throw line (90.0%). The Wildcats permitted Vanderbilt to knock down 26 out of their 53 attempts from the floor which had them at 49.1% for this contest. When the game finished, the Wildcats ended up shooting 28 for 66 from the field which had them shooting 42.4%. Concerning shooting from 3-point land, Kentucky made 6 of 25 attempts (24.0%). They were able to knock down 11 of the free throws for a clip of 55.0%. Vanderbilt had 16 personal fouls for the contest which took the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 20 attempts. They turned it over 13 times, while recording 9 steals in this contest. The Wildcats recorded 22 defensive boards and 18 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 for this contest.

Antonio Reeves pitched in for the Wildcats in this matchup. He knocked down 8 of 20 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 35 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for the contest.

Kentucky has a win-loss mark of 21-11 so far this season. The Wildcats are committing 16.1 fouls per contest and they shoot 70.3% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 15.3 times per game (42nd in the nation) and they cough up possession 11.7 times per contest. Kentucky has totaled 2,402 points on the campaign (75.1 per game) and they pull down 39.0 boards per game. As an offense, the Wildcats are hitting on 45.9% from the floor, which ranks them 95th in college basketball.

The Wildcats on defense are ranked 119th in college basketball in PPG given up with 68.0. They are able to force 11.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.9% from the field (134th in the nation). The Kentucky defense concedes 33.1% on three-point shots (212 of 640) and opponents are knocking down 74.4% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 11.7 dimes and 30.2 rebounds per contest, ranking them 105th and 10th in those categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Providence (+3)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here