Kentucky vs. Oakland odd, score prediction: 2024 NCAA Tournament picks, March Madness bests by proven model…

Kentucky is one of the youngest teams in the NCAA Tournament field.

The Wildcats are also one of the most talented.

According to ESPN, UK has two of the top five, three of the top 15, four of the top 20, five of the top 25 and seven of the top 35 NBA Draft prospects for 2024.

No. 1 overall seed, defending national champion and favorite to repeat UConn only has five, followed by Arizona with four. Baylor, Colorado, Creighton, Duke, and Marquette each have three.

No. 3 seed Kentucky (23-9) will open NCAA Tournament play vs. No. 14 seed Oakland in Pittsburgh on Thursday at 7:10 PM ET on CBS. Should the Wildcats advance, Kentucky would play the winner of (6) Texas Tech and (11) NC State on Saturday.

Kentucky is 1-3 vs. teams in the South Region, with all four games coming against SEC opponents, going 0-2 vs. No. 9 Texas A&M and 1-1 vs. No. 7 seed Florida. UK was 6-7 vs. the 2024 NCAA Tournament field this season.

Ranked No. 16 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the Wildcats started out 15-4 overall before dropping three of its next four games, including its first-ever 3-game home losing streak at Rupp Arena in the 48-year history of the building dating back to 1976. Since then, Kentucky closed the regular season winning seven of its last eight, including at No. 13 Auburn, vs. No. 13 Alabama, at Mississippi State and at No. 4 Tennessee prior to Friday night’s 97-87 loss to Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

ESPN’s John Gasaway recently chose Kentucky as one of eight teams that can win the national championship this season.

Why is that important? Seven years running, the national champion has come from Gasaway’s group of eight, which also includes Arizona, UConn, Creighton, Duke, Houston, Purdue and Tennessee.
“Ivisic missed 18 games due to NCAA eligibility issues before finally being cleared in late January, putting him behind the eight ball on a deep Kentucky team that has three 7-footers. He’s shown glimpses of what makes him interesting with his ability to protect the rim (4.9 blocks per 40 minutes) and stretch the floor (38% from 3), but also has had no shortage of inconsistent moments on both ends of the floor, reminding scouts why he gained little traction upon entering the NBA draft in each of the past two years. The next time Ivisic enters the draft (possibly this spring), he’ll be unable to withdraw due to NBA rules, which makes for a tougher decision than most considering how inconsistent he’s been this season. A signature performance or two in the NCAA tournament might sway the tide.”
“NBA scouts viewed Reeves as a fringe prospect last year. He’s forced the issue this season in a big way, shooting 44% from 3 on 5.6 attempts per game, becoming an indispensable piece for Kentucky and leading the team in minutes. He’s likely in the two-way contract mix at this point, with shooting always in high demand. The rest of his game is limited by NBA standards, but Reeves will have to make big shots while spacing the floor for the Wildcats to mount a run. He’ll presumably earn a combine invite and have a chance to keep putting himself in the draft conversation.”

“Onyenso ranks last by a wide margin in usage among Kentucky’s 10 rotation players, but could prove to be their most important player in the NCAA tournament due to his defensive impact. He’s the top shot-blocker in the field at 5.7 blocks per 40 minutes, which plays an outsized importance on a team that has struggled to get stops. Onyenso is extremely limited offensively, not the rebounder you might expect relative to his skills and can be pretty mistake-prone — even defensively at times — which is why he’s fairly polarizing among NBA teams. There’s no better platform to show how his timing, length, mobility and quickness getting off the ground can impact winning, so finishing the season on a strong note could give him strong momentum going into the pre-draft process.”
“A top-10 recruit coming out of high school, Wagner has struggled with the weight of expectations as well as the fact that Kentucky has been better with backups — Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham. Kentucky is just plus-five in Wagner’s 731 minutes this season, and plus-342 and plus-228 with Sheppard and Dillingham respectively, a huge disparity that coach John Calipari is surely aware of going into his team’s most important games of the season. Wagner has flashed intriguing shot-creation prowess and scoring instincts, but his inconsistent decision-making, finishing and perimeter shooting will be put under the microscope in tight games as scouts weigh what to do with the 18-year-old’s body of work. How he finishes will likely go a long way in helping determine his candidacy as a first-round prospect.”
“Edwards started the season as a projected top-10 pick, but saw his stock crater amid poor play in the first three months of Kentucky’s campaign. Since February, Edwards has rebounded in a major way, shooting 47% for 3 and looking like the game has slowed down for him. It will be interesting to see what version we will get this weekend after a lackluster performance in the SEC tournament. Edwards’ ballhandling, defense and overall feel for the game are still concerns, and he doesn’t have extreme youth to fall back on like many freshmen (he turned 20 in December), so finding a way to finish the season on a positive note will be important to build momentum going into the pre-draft process.”

“Sheppard has wowed NBA scouts all season with his shooting prowess, playmaking acumen, defensive instincts, productivity and never-ending poise and confidence. No one thought of him as a one-and-done candidate entering college, but he’s continued to state his case as the best freshman in college basketball, winning over skeptics who express concern about his limited physical skills. While exceptionally efficient, Sheppard has one of the lowest usage rates of any player projected to be drafted. Scouts will want to see Sheppard continue to be aggressive seeking out opportunities to create offense for himself and others, while holding his own as a one-on-one defender.”

“Dillingham is the type of explosive, dynamic guard capable of lighting up an NCAA tournament game. His scoring instincts and sheer star power give him a huge platform to state his case as a potential No. 1 pick if Kentucky can make the Final Four. He gets anywhere he wants on the floor with his electric ballhandling and change of pace, has unlimited confidence pulling up off the dribble and is a creative passer and finisher with a huge amount of swagger who won’t shy away from pressure-packed situations. Scouts will be watching to see how he handles physicality on both ends of the floor and if he can find a way to make good decisions and not be a liability defensively, as has been the case in some games this season.”