Bad news for sports bettors: College football’s bowl season has reached its conclusion, minus next week’s national-title clash of No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia.
Good news for sports bettors: College basketball’s regular season has made the glorious calendar turn to 2022, meaning the vast majority of remaining games will be conference clashes.
Tuesday’s marquee matchup features a pair of nationally ranked teams battling for SEC supremacy. It’s an especially crucial game for the home team, which is trying to avoid an 0-2 start in league play.
No. 16 Kentucky at No. 21 LSU
Tipoff Time: 7 p.m. EST
Venue: Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, LA)
TV: ESPN
Kentucky: 11-2 SU/7-6 ATS
LSU: 12-1 SU/10-3 ATS
Odds: Side & Total
| Sportsbook | Spread | Total |
| BetMGM | LSU -2.5 (-110) | 143.5 |
| Caesars | LSU -2 (-110) | 144 |
| DraftKings | LSU -2 (-110) | 144.5 |
| FanDuel | LSU -2.5 (-110) | 144.5 |
| PointsBet USA | LSU -2 (-110) | 144 |
*Odds updated as of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
Betting Trends
Kentucky
- The Wildcats have cashed in four straight games following a 1-4 ATS funk
- Kentucky is ATS slumps of 1-7-1 on the road, 1-6 ATS as an underdog, and 0-8 when playing on Tuesday
- The Over is 3-1-1 in the Wildcats’ last five as an underdog and 8-3 in its last 11 when facing a team with a winning record
- The Under is 16-5 for Kentucky following a victory of 20-plus points
LSU
- The Tigers are on a 10-0-1 ATS roll at home since last season, including 8-0 ATS this year
- LSU is 21-8-1 ATS in its last 30 as a favorite, 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 as a home chalk, and 3-1-1 ATS in its last five Tuesday contests
- The Under is 11-1 in the Tigers’ last 12 games overall, including 6-1 at home. The totals in those seven home games: 155, 123, 138, 117, 136, 131 and 132 points
- The Under is 9-1 in LSU’s last 10 when installed as a favorite
The Series
- The underdog has cashed in nine of the last 13 head-to-head meetings
- The road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five regular-season matchups
Odds & Ends
— At DraftKings, Kentucky (1-0 in SEC) has the eighth-best odds to win the NCAA title (+2,200). Down the line, LSU slots 20th on the national championship odds board at +4,500, tied with Texas Tech and Arkansas.
— Kentucky is averaging 92 points during its current four-game SU and ATS winning streak. John Calipari’s squad cleared the 90-point barrier in each of those contests, except for Wednesday’s 83-56 SEC-opening rout of Missouri at home.
— The Wildcats’ dropped their season-opener 79-71 to Duke as a 2.5-point neutral-site underdog. Their only other defeat was a 66-62 setback at Notre Dame as a 4.5-point road favorite on Dec. 11.
— LSU’s perfect season came to a screeching halt Wednesday when it traveled to Auburn and got spanked 70-55 as a 4.5-point road ‘dog in the SEC opener for both squads.
— Since starting off the season 9-1 ATS, the Tigers have failed to cash in two of their last three.
— Kentucky is 3-7 SU in road or neutral-site games against ranked opponents since November 2019. Only three of those 10 contests ended with a combined total that was above tonight’s consensus tally of 144 points.
— Dating back to January 2016, LSU is 5-7 SU at home versus ranked opponents. Ten of those games soared Over 144 points, including seven games with 152 points or more.
— Each of Kentucky’s previous 13 SU victories have been by 12 points or more. The Wildcats scored at least 76 points in 12 of those outings. The lone exception: A 70-55 road rout of No. 19 Tennessee on Feb. 20 of last year.
— Likewise, 10 of LSU’s last 12 wins this season have been double-digit routs. However, only three of those wins came against Power 5 opponents: 68-63 vs. Penn State in overtime; 75-61 over Wake Forest; and 69-53 at Georgia Tech.
— Kentucky and its opponents are averaging 144.4 combined points per game this season, whereas LSU and its foes are averaging 133 points per outing.
— Player to Watch: LSU sophomore Tari Eason leads the Tigers in scoring (15.8 points per game) and ranks second in rebounding (7.4 per game). The Cincinnati transfer has notched 20-plus points four times this season, highlighted by a 23-point, six-rebound performance in the Tigers’ 16-point rout of Georgia Tech on Dec. 11. The 6-foot-8 forward has collected five-plus rebounds in 11 of 12 games, including three double-digit efforts.
