They\u2019ve also fared well against ranked competition, beating all three ranked foes they\u2019ve faced while ranked themselves. That includes an 89-86 victory over Iowa on Jan. 4.<\/p>\n
In a game that features two of the top offenses in the conference, the host Hawkeyes may get a boost. Coach Fran McCaffrey said he expects CJ Fredrick to return to action after missing three games because of an ankle injury. The freshman guard is the team\u2019s third-leading scorer at 10.7 points per game and leading 3-point shooter at 46.7 percent.<\/p>\n
Iowa, which is coming off a loss to Michigan State on Tuesday, is a four-point favorite at FanDuel and DraftKings for Saturday\u2019s game, which tips at Noon ET on the Big Ten Network. At FanDuel, 54 percent of the bets and 60 percent of the handle are on Iowa, which is 13-1 at home this year.<\/p>\n
Despite the teams’ high-scoring natures, FanDuel bettors are divided on the total points, set at 151.5. More than two-thirds of all bets are on the under, but 56 percent of the handle is on the over.<\/p>\n
Auburn gave the Wildcats their last loss, a 75-66 defeat on Feb. 1. Since then, Kentucky’s been one of college basketball’s hottest teams, reeling off seven straight wins.<\/p>\n
Kentucky coach John Calipari said winning the conference would be nice. However, he and his team are looking at the bigger picture, the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n
The reality of it is, our season is about building toward March, being prepared for every kind of team that we can play,\u201d he told reporters on Friday. \u201cBuilding every player on your team because you don’t know who’s going to step up in a game.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Sophomore guard Immanuel Quickley has enjoyed a nice February for the Wildcats. His seasonal scoring average has increased by nearly two points to 16.2 points per game since Feb 1. He\u2019s come on even stronger of late. He set a career-high with 26 points in the win over Florida last Saturday, and then on Tuesday, he topped that by making 8-of-12 3-pointers en route to a 30-point effort in beating Texas A&M on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Lexington\u2019s Rupp Arena has not been kind to Auburn. The Tigers have just two wins in 50 games at Kentucky\u2019s home court.<\/p>\n
The Tigers got freshman Isaac Okoro back from a hamstring injury in Tuesday\u2019s 67-58 win over Ole Miss. He scored 10 points in the win, which makes Auburn 23-2 in games when he plays.<\/p>\n
FanDuel has the Wildcats as six-point favorites, and DraftKings gives Auburn a half-point more. FanDuel bettors are high on the home team, as 74 percent of the bets and 80 percent of the handle are on Kentucky.<\/p>\n
The game is scheduled to tip off at 3:45 pm ET and air on CBS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Leap Day this year is giving college basketball fans a nice appetizer for March Madness. The next to last weekend in the regular season for the power conferences in NCAA basketball tips off Saturday, and the docket includes three games featuring teams in the Associated Press Top 25 facing each other. Two of those battles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":128509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
College Basketball: Three Ranked Matchups Highlight Leap Day Docket<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n