The 14-seed Oklahoma Sooners (20-12, 6-12 SEC) will take on the 6-seed Kentucky Wildcats (21-10, 10-8 SEC) in a second-round matchup in the SEC Tournament in this Oklahoma vs. Kentucky prediction. Oklahoma defeated the 11-seed Georgia to get here, while Kentucky enjoyed a first-round bye. When these teams met in the regular season, Kentucky won by one on the road. The winner of this matchup advances to play the 3-seed Alabama. Tipoff is set for 9:30 EST from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and can be found on the SEC Network. See below for our Oklahoma vs. Kentucky prediction, and keep up with all of our NCAAB Betting Picks!
Oklahoma Improves Tournament Chances
The Oklahoma Sooners are now the lowest remaining seed in the SEC Tournament after springing a small Round One upset over the 11-seed Georgia. The Sooners have now won each of their last three as they finished the season with a win over #15 Missouri, a road win at Texas, now won on Wednesday against Georgia. Oklahoma is on the bubble, but Joe Lunardi has them listed as one of the "Last Four Byes" meaning they may have done enough for an at-large bid. In the win over Georgia, Jeremiah Fears had 29 points and six rebounds in the win.
Fears is their star 6'4 freshman guard, he was named to the All-Freshman Team in the SEC, and narrowly missed being named Freshman of the Year after being beat out by Tre Johnson of Texas. Fears is likely to get his shot in the NBA someday soon, but for now, he leads the Sooners with 16.3 PPG and 4.2 APG and had the strong 29-point game to carry the Sooners to a day one win. Jalon Moore is their other top scorer, the 6'7 senior forward had 14 points against Georgia and is averaging 16.1 PPG on the season to go with a team-high 5.8 RPG. Both Fears and Moore are capable outside shooters, Fears has 30 threes on the year while Moore has 37. Mohamed Wague had a big game inside against Georgia, the 6'10 senior finished with 12 points and nine boards despite only averaging 3.3 PPG on the season.
Oklahoma is currently ranked 38th overall in KenPom. They are 21st in offensive efficiency and 71st in defensive efficiency. They play at the 110th-ranked pace out of 364 Division I teams. The Sooners are projected to be an 11-seed in Bracketology.
Wildcats Finish Strong
The Kentucky Wildcats won three of their last four games to close the season, with their only loss in the stretch coming against #1 Auburn. They finished the season on back to back wins, defeating LSU at home, then hitting the road for a strong win against #15 Missouri. The Wildcats only had one player receive postseason recognition in their awards, as Otega Oweh was named to Second Team All-SEC.
Oweh is their leading scorer getting 16.2 PPG as a 6’4 junior guard. He transferred in the conference from Oklahoma and had a big night against his former team as he finished with 28 points on their trip to Oklahoma. Oweh scored 22 or more in three of his last four games to close the season. Jaxson Robinson was their second-leading scorer, but a wrist injury knocked him out for the rest of the year. Lamont Butler is a 6’2 senior guard who brings another 11.9 PPG and 4.4 APG. Their top frontcourt player is Amari Williams, he is a 7’0, 260-pound senior getting 11.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG.
Kentucky is currently ranked 11th overall in KenPom. They are 6th in offensive efficiency and 57th in defensive efficiency. The Wildcats play fast, they rank 28th in pace of play. Kentucky is currently projected to be a 3-seed in Bracketology.
Best Bets for Oklahoma vs. Kentucky
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
The Sooners are going to be able to keep this game close, and 6.5 points is far too many for this conference tournament game. Oklahoma has momentum after their Day One victory over Georgia, and are amped for another shot at Kentucky after they lost the first meeting by just one point. Oklahoma's top stars played well against Kentucky last time out, Moore had 20 points and six boards, while Fears had 18 points, eight boards and six assists. Fears is the ultimate game-changer in this, he will likely be the best future pro player on the floor and can take over the game just as he did against Georgia with his 29-point performance. The Sooners are rolling, they just beat Missouri and Texas who are both alive on the second day of this tournament. Kentucky is solid, but they lack the top-tier talent that the Wildcat faithful have grown accustomed to seeing, Fears will be the best player on the court and will keep this close for Oklahoma.
Take Oklahoma with the points.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
These teams both went over 80 in their previous meeting and will push the pace here in an exciting game to close out Day Two. Kentucky plays fast, they are 28th in the nation in pace of play, and they like to get up and down the floor as quickly as possible to find easy buckets. Otega Oweh is going to look to fill it up, he began his career at Oklahoma, and the now-Kentucky Wildcat put up 28 points against his former team in their last meeting. Oklahoma has star power too, as Jeremiah Fears is coming off a 29-point game on the first day in this tournament. Oklahoma is not far behind in pace of play, and their defense only ranks 71st in efficiency, while Kentucky has the 6th best offense in efficiency. If Oklahoma is going to keep this close, their offense will have to keep them in it, and this will be a high-scoring affair.
Take the over.
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