West Virginia vs. Kentucky Prediction: 2010 Elite Eight Odds: March 27th 2010

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Kentucky Wildcats
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On Saturday night, two tickets to the Final Four will be punched. In the final of the East Region, the #1 Kentucky Wildcats (35-2, 20-15 ATS) will face off with the #2 West Virginia Mountaineers (30-6, 16-19 ATS). This is just the second time this season that two teams with at least 30 wins will meet each other and will be the only #1 vs. #2 March Madness betting battle in the Elite 8. WVU stormed past Morgan State, Missouri, and Washington to reach the East finale, while Kentucky took out East Tennessee State, Wake Forest, and Cornell.

With West Virginia’s backcourt depleted with the loss of G Darryl Bryant, the bigs must continue to play well. The Mountaineers have dominated their college basketball betting foes this year on the glass, averaging a +6.7 boards per game advantage. Fs Da’Sean Butler, Kevin Jones, Devin Ebanks, and Wellington Smith really dominated that department all year long, bringing in an average 25.9 rebounds per game between the four of them. Against Washington, they brought down an even loftier 29 boards combined, which is a big chunk of the reason that the Huskies ultimately fell apart in the second half.

The Wildcats haven’t gotten nearly enough credit for their defense this year, thought that was the unit that shined in a 62-45 regional semifinal win over the Big Red on Thursday. The Cats held Cornell to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor, which bettered their season average to just 37.8 percent conceded, the third best mark in the NCAAs. UK also has a tremendous rebounding edge on its foes on a regular basis, going +8.6 rebounds per game.

These squads have matched wits twice since the ‘05 season, with Kentucky going 2-0 both SU and against the NCAA basketball betting lines. The Cats are 13-3-1 ATS in their L/17 betting battles with the Big East, and they’re 6-0 ATS in their L/6 March Madness betting duels as favorites. However, West Virginia is a rock solid 11-2-1 ATS in its L/14 NCAA Tournament wagering wars and 6-1 ATS in its L/7 neutral site games as underdogs.

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