Kentucky March Madness Odds: First Round NCAA Tournament

The first round of the NCAA tournament features the Kentucky Wildcats, seeded sixth in the East Region, facing the Providence Friars, seeded 11th. UK plays at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17 in Greensboro, N.C., with coverage on CBS. Current odds for this college basketball showdown have Kentucky as spread favorites and moneyline favorites, with an over/under of . Here, we’ll take a look at this game as part of a wider snapshot of Kentucky March Madness odds.

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Kentucky Vs. Providence Betting Odds

Below, bettors can find the best available Kentucky March Madness odds across legal U.S. sportsbooks. Use the dropdown in the top left to change from spread betting options to moneyline or wagers on the over/under.

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Kentucky Vs. Providence Player Props

Player prop odds for Kentucky vs. Providence will populate below once they become available, usually a day or so before tip-off. You will often find a wider spread of prices on small markets like player props, so it’s very important to shop for the best numbers. You can also use our prop finder tool and type in a player’s name.

Note that certain states restrict or disallow altogether college player props. You can bet college basketball player props in CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, LA, MD, NJ, OH, WA, WV and WY. However, CT, IA, IL, and NJ do not allow player props for athletes on in-state teams.

Kentucky March Madness Futures

Why Kentucky Can Cover The Spread

They’ll have the best player in the game in former national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe. He’s still putting up big numbers, averaging 16.5 PPG with a monstrous 5.5 offensive boards (part of 13.1 overall). Certainly, Kentucky has the more talented team with future possible lottery pick Cason Wallace providing an inside-outside punch with Tshiebwe. However, this isn’t the future NBA star factory it has been in some recent years. But, they do still have John Calipari as well. He has plenty of experience navigating deep into the tournament.

Why Providence Can Cover The Spread

Kentucky has gotten a lot of mileage out of its rebounding prowess, understandably ranking third in total rebounding rate thanks to Tshiebwe’s dominance. However, Providence isn’t far behind at 10th. In fact, when it comes to the four factors overall (shooting, rebounding, turnovers and free throws), Providence has outperformed Kentucky basically across the board. As long as the Big East doesn’t prove to have been a paper tiger, Providence shouldn’t be far behind Kentucky, if at all.

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Final Thoughts

When bettors see a statistically close matchup like this in which Providence appears to have the edge in many key categories yet sits as an underdog, that should at least mean a look at the underdog here.

Neither of these teams performed well against the top teams on their schedule, with Kentucky only notably dominating Tennessee. Therefore, it seems unrealistic to expect a deep run from either squad. Focus on this matchup rather than any speculative futures, and decide if Providence is worth a play at a plus number.