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No. 1 Kentucky hosts No. 7 Texas on Friday
By: Brian Graham - StatFox
Published: 12/5/2014  at  5:58:00 AM
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TEXAS LONGHORNS (7-0)

at KENTUCKY WILDCATS (7-0)

Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
Tip-off: Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Kentucky -13, Total: 122.5

Two undefeated schools with massive frontcourts will collide on Friday night when No. 6 Texas visits No. 1 Kentucky in the marquee matchup of the SEC/Big 12 matchup.

The Longhorns (5-1 ATS) have been extremely tough to score on this season, as they are limiting opponents to a mere 52.6 PPG on 31% FG (28% threes). The Wildcats defense has also been stellar, as they are holding teams to 44.6 PPG on 28% FG (26% threes). Both of these schools also do an excellent job of controlling the glass, as Texas holds a +13.9 RPG margin, while Kentucky is outrebounding teams by +14.6 RPG. But the Longhorns are a much inferior offensive team, especially without injured PG Isaiah Taylor who has a broken wrist. They have shot a putrid 33% FG in their past two games, while the Wildcats average 48% FG for the season. These schools have met one common opponent this season in UT-Arlington, and both games were at home. Texas played the Mavericks on Tuesday, and won 63-53, but shot 30% FG and failed to cover the 23-point spread. Kentucky played UTA last week on Nov. 25 and cruised to a 92-44 victory and easily covered the 33-point spread by shooting 57% FG. Both schools have strong betting trends for this matchup, as good rebounding (4+ RPG margin) road underdogs of 10 to 19.5 points such as the Longhorns, are 44-16 ATS (73%) on Friday nights since 1997. But the Wildcats, who made just 47% free throws (8-of-17) in Sunday's 58-38 win over Providence, are 8-1 ATS under John Calipari after making 53% FT or worse. There are no significant injuries for this contest other than Taylor.

Can Kentucky roll to another victory over an undefeated Texas squad? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks. The experts have begun the 2014-15 season with a bang, posting a collective 59% ATS mark (52-36) in Best Bets. The five experts are led by StatFox Gary's stellar 72% ATS mark (13-5), while StatFox Zach is 65% ATS (11-6), and StatFox Brian is 61% ATS (11-7) to open the season.

Texas is scoring only 72.6 PPG (107th in nation) on 45.1% FG (114th in NCAA), and those numbers have been much worse in non-home games (65.7 PPG on 41% FG), but the school is still a perfect 3-0 (SU and ATS) away from home. While they still need to pick up the slack for injured leading scorer PG Isaiah Taylor (15.0 PPG), the Longhorns have five other players averaging more than 8.0 points per game. Senior SF Jonathan Holmes (12.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 14-of-28 threes) nailed the game-winning three at UConn last Sunday, but he has been otherwise cold in the past three games with a 28% FG clip (8-for-29). But Holmes has made up for the poor shooting by crashing the boards for 27 rebounds in these three contests, including 16 in Tuesday's win. Freshman PF Myles Turner (12.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.3 BPG) has been a force in the lane, and is coming off a monster performance of 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on Tuesday. This production occurred despite playing just 22 minutes and making only 2-of-10 FG, as he knocked down 14-of-17 free throws. C Cameron Ridley (8.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG) has also underwhelmed in his junior season. While Turner's presence limits his numbers, Ridley has dropped considerably from his 11.2 PPG and 8.2 RPG from last season. In the past two games, he has grabbed only two rebounds in a combined 34 minutes. The 'Horns will need all their big men to play exceptionally well against a stacked Wildcats frontcourt. Combination guard Javan Felix (8.8 PPG, 2.3 APG) has been ice-cold to start the season (39% FG, 29% threes) and has nearly as many turnovers (13) as assists (14). Thankfully for Texas, SG Demarcus Holland has shot lights-out at 54% FG and 50% threes (4-for-8). Both he and Felix will need to make some outside shots rather than contest their opponent in the paint.

Kentucky's 79.0 PPG this season ranks 32nd in the nation, while its 47.7% FG places the team 50th in the NCAA, and its 17.1 APG ranks 20th. Like Texas, the Wildcats have great balance on offense with seven players averaging at least 8.0 PPG, led by SG Aaron Harrison (10.4 PPG). But he has shot poorly all season at 37% FG (25% threes). PG Andrew Harrison (8.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG) has shot much better than his twin brother with rates of 49% FG and 39% threes. Freshman SG Devin Booker (10.3 PPG) has been knocking down threes at a 47% clip (14-of-30) and has scored at least 15 points in three of his past four games. Seven-foot C Dakari Johnson (10.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG) is the other double-digit scorer who has made 61% from the floor and has scored 11+ points in four of the past five games. In addition to Johnson manning the middle, the Wildcats have also relied on three other big men to impose their will in the lane. Seven-foot C Willie Cauley-Stein (8.7 PPG, 64% FG, 6.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG), 6-foot-11 PF Karl-Anthony Towns (8.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.0 BPG) and 6-foot-8 PF Alex Poythress (5.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.8 BPG) are all turning away shots with regularity, and will all be used to wear down Turner and Ridley on Friday night.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook season betting preview for Texas:


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