Indiana Hoosiers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Odds, March Madness Pick

Kentucky owns the recent rivalry with Indiana, winning four of the last five meetings straight up, going 4-1 against the spread, including a victory/cover in the NCAA tournament four seasons ago.

In a battle between two of the most storied programs in college basketball history, the Wildcats hook up with the Hoosiers in a Big Dance second-round bout Saturday afternoon in Des Moines.

Point spread: The Wildcats opened as three-point favorites; the total was 156, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

March Madness pick, via Odds Shark computer: 76.9-70.3 Wildcats

Why pick Indiana to cover the spread

The fifth-seeded Hoosiers advanced to Saturday by topping the UT-Chattanooga Mocs on Thursday 99-74, cruising to the cover as 11-point favorites, per Odds Shark. IU led by nine at the half then pulled away in the second half, at one point pushing the advantage to 28. On the night the Hoosiers shot a hot 65 percent from the floor, hit 10-of-17 from three-point range and 15-of-18 from the line.

Indiana is now 6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS over its last seven games, averaging 80 points per game in the process. On the season the Hoosiers are shooting almost 51 percent from the field and 42 percent on three-pointers, and both those figures rank in the top five in the country. If Indiana can just play some defense Saturday, make a few stops and limit Kentucky's second chances, it could win this game outright.

Why pick Kentucky to cover the spread

The fourth-seeded Wildcats reached this game by dispatching the Stony Brook Seawolves on Thursday 85-57, cashing in easily as 13-point favorites on the college basketball odds. Kentucky led by 14 at the half then pulled away from there, eventually leading by 33, before backing off. On the night UK shot 52 percent from the field and did a good job of spreading the wealth, as five 'Cats scored in double figures.

At the other end of the court, Kentucky held the Seawolves to just 26 percent shooting, allowing just seven field goals in the first half. So the Wildcats now own a six-game winning streak both SU and ATS. For the season Kentucky is shooting 48 percent from the floor, while holding foes to just under 40 percent.

Smart betting pick

The point guard matchup between Indiana's Yogi Ferrell and Kentucky's Tyler Ulis alone might be worth the ticket price. Ultimately, though, Ulis has the better supporting cast, and the Wildcats play better defense. And in close calls like this, the smart money usually resides with the better defense. Take Kentucky at the short spread.

March Madness betting trends

Indiana is 1-4 SU and ATS in its last five games against Kentucky.

The total has gone over in five of Kentucky's last six games.

Kentucky is 6-0 SU and ATS in its last six games against teams with winning records.

Indiana is 4-1 ATS in its last five games.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, and all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app for iOS or Android.