The Brown Bears take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, KY. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Kentucky is favored by 24 points on the spread with a moneyline of -9000. The total is set at 155.5 points.
Here are my Brown vs. Kentucky predictions and college basketball picks for December 31, 2024.
Brown vs Kentucky Prediction
My Pick: Kentucky -24 (play to -26)
My Brown vs Kentucky best bet is on Kentucky -24 (play to -26) with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Brown vs Kentucky Odds
| Brown Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+24 -112 | 155.5 -112o / -108u | +2500 |
| Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-24 -108 | 155.5 -112o / -108u | -9000 |
- Brown vs Kentucky spread: Kentucky -24 (-108), Brown +24 (-112)
- Brown vs Kentucky over/under: 155.5
- Brown vs Kentucky moneyline: Brown +2500 Kentucky -9000
- Brown vs Kentucky best bet: Kentucky -24 (play to -26)
Spread
I like Kentucky.
Moneyline
No play.
Over/Under
No play.
My Pick: Kentucky -24 (play to -26)
Brown vs Kentucky College Basketball Betting Preview
Brown Basketball
Coach Mike Martin at Brown wanted to ensure his team was battle-tested before Ivy League play begins. The final game before Christmas came in a huge loss to Kansas, and the final game before the New Year is against Kentucky.
Will the Bears' fortune be different this time?
I can’t picture that being a reality. They're just aren’t built to compete against high-major teams with a ton of length.
It’s not Brown’s fault because it expected Nana Owusu-Anane to be their starting center, not Landon Lewis, who’s only 6-7. While Lewis has filled in admirably — averaging 13 ppg and seven rpg, he’s incredibly small compared to Kentucky’s lengthy interior.
The Jayhawks out-rebounded Brown, 50-40, when those two met. Lewis also picked up four fouls in the first half and played just 18 minutes before fouling out. That pressed sophomore N’Famara Dabo into a huge role — and he actually played quite well. Maybe it’s a good thing Lewis got in foul trouble to get a look at the backup bigs.
You should take note of guard Kino Lilly Jr, who is among the top players at the mid-major level. A senior guard from Maryland, Lilly has morphed into one of the most fearsome scorers in the country, averaging 20 ppg on 42.7% from 3. He’ll need to go off to contend with the Wildcats
Lilly leads the charge on Brown’s high-volume shooting attack. It shoots 3s on 42% of field goal attempts and hits on 34%. The Bears will need scoring from Aaron Cooley and AJ Lesburt to lessen the burden on Lilly’s plate.
Kentucky Basketball
Kentucky last hit the court 10 days ago when Ohio State surprisingly handed them an 85-65. Will the Cats’ come out of the lengthy break sluggish or with an angry mindset following the brutal loss?
I lean toward the latter. It takes a truly elite defensive effort to contain Kentucky’s offense, which ranks No. 12 in offensive efficiency. Mark Pope is known for ushering elite offensive teams, so him bringing the same pedigree to Lexington isn’t a real surprise. The Wildcats specialize in playing with controlled tempo — ranking No. 40 in adjusted tempo, but they turn the ball over just 13% of the time.
In this particular matchup, Pope can draw up plenty of plays to get his bigs — 7-footer Amari Williams and 6-11 Andrew Carr isolated on the interior, where the skilled bigs can use their monster size advantage to score or dish to shooters.
Pick your shooter — Kentucky has plenty. Jaxson Robinson is one Coach Pope needs to get on track. He’s shooting just 30% from 3 this year, but he was BYU’s best player last year. Additionally, Koby Brea is probably the best volume shooter in America, connecting on 50.7% of his 71 attempts. Otega Oweh and Lamont Butler have developed nicely in Pope’s system, turning from non-shooters in the past to legitimate weapons from 3.
Oweh is the Wildcats' leading scorer with 16.6 ppg. He's been one of the least-talked-about stud transfers in the sport, and he could dominate using his imposing frame and improved jumper in this battle.
Brown vs. Kentucky Betting Analysis
I love Kentucky here. The motivation factor of crushing a team like Brown heading into league play, fresh off a tough loss, is something I'm watching.
The real reason I don't have faith in Brown covering here is the size issues. I don't know how Brown keeps Kentucky from scoring with two really good offensive bigs who can dribble, shoot (In Carr's case), pass and score inside. It's not like Brown can sell out to stop the bigs because the shooters will bury Brown's defense in response.
