Seth Davis believes UCLA will beat Kentucky by 8 points tomorrow night in a high-scoring game (98-90).
Check out his thoughts:
No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 2 Kentucky, Friday, 9:30 p.m., CBS
We’ve been waiting for this rematch since Dec. 3, when the Bruins got their statement win at Rupp Arena, 97–92. UCLA won that game despite committing 18 turnovers and a 24-point performance by Wildcats freshman guard Malik Monk.
Monk has looked rather mortal the last three weeks (he shot 6 for 21 and 2 for 7 from three in Kentucky’s two tourney wins), and the Bruins have greatly improved their ability to take care of the ball. They rank ninth in the country in turnover percentage despite being 15th in tempo, and they coughed it up just nine times (to 46 assists) in their wins over Kent State and Cincinnati.
We think about “pressure” coming from a defense like West Virginia’s, but UCLA puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on opponents with its ability to score lots of points really fast. Needless to say, Kentucky will not try to slow down the tempo, so in that respect this will be a comfortable matchup for both teams. In the end, though, UCLA has too much skill at every position. During a season in which the pendulum has swung dramatically towards the offense, the nation’s best offensive team will win the most compelling matchup of the Sweet 16. First one to 90 wins!
UCLA 98, Kentucky 90
Personally, I think Kentucky can actually play defense now and I expect the game to be in the 70s with Kentucky winning.
