No.1 Kentucky takes act on the road

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/11/2012 - Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats put their unblemished SEC record in harm's way this evening in Nashville, as they take on the dangerous Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gym.

John Calipari's Wildcats are young, but their abundance of talent has lifted them to a sterling 24-1 overall mark, including a 10-0 record in SEC play thus far. Kentucky was supposed to be challenged this week by nationally-ranked Florida, but the Gators became just another victim in a 78-58 rout in Lexington, marking the Wildcats' 16th straight victory.

Kevin Stallings' Commodores are a solid 17-7 on the season and are a decent 6-3 in SEC action thus far. The team did suffer recent back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Florida, but halted the skid with a 76-61 win over LSU this week.

Kentucky holds a 134-44 edge in the all-time series, but the Commodores have won five of the last six meetings in Nashville.

The Wildcats picked up their 16th straight win in rather easy fashion, disposing of Florida by 20 points this week. The team placed four players in double figures and two of them recorded double-doubles, with Michael Kidd- Gilchrist posting 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Marquis Teague finished with 12 points and 10 assists. Doron Lamb led the offensive charge with 18 points, while center Anthony Davis was his usual dominant self down low, with 16 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Kentucky never allowed Florida to get into an offensive rhythm, while the Wildcats delivered on 52.7 percent from the floor, including 60 percent from behind the arc (9-of-15).

Davis may just be a freshman, but the 6-10 youngster has come on strong and has asserted himself as one of the top big men in the country. He currently leads Kentucky in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg), while leading the entire country in blocked shots (120). Three others are averaging double figures in scoring, giving the team plenty of options at the offensive end. Lamb is next in line at 13.6 ppg, followed by Kidd-Gilchrist (12.6 ppg) and Terrence Jones (12.1 ppg). Darius Miller (9.9 ppg) and Teague (9.7 ppg) provide even more depth and help the team to a national-best +20.5 scoring margin.

Vanderbilt will not shy away from turning this game into a shootout, as there is plenty of firepower on the roster. Two of the top three scorers in the SEC are Commodores, with John Jenkins leading the league with 19.7 ppg and Jeffery Taylor not far behind at third with 17.8 ppg. Both players are shooting well over 40 percent from behind the arc this year, with Jenkins 89 three-pointers leading the team. Frontcourt help comes in the form of center Festus Ezeli (10.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and forward Lance Goulbourne (9.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg).

Vanderbilt showed its offensive punch in the lopsided win over LSU this week, hitting 50 percent from the floor. Ezeli led the team with 21 points, thanks to 8-of-10 shooting from the floor. Jenkins hit four three-pointers en route to a 20-point outing, while Taylor added three from long range and finished with 19 points.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.