College basketball picks: UCLA-Kentucky prediction, spread, over/under bets on December 17

The 2022 CBS Sports Classic will feature a battle of Top 25 blue bloods as the No. 16 UCLA Bruins will face off against the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats at 5:15 p.m. ET. The game will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will air on CBS.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

UCLA vs. Kentucky odds

Spread: UCLA -2
Over/Under: 143.5
Moneyline: UCLA -130, Kentucky +110

UCLA (9-2, 2-0 Pac-12) has rattled off six straight victories heading into this evening's showdown and were last seen scorching Maryland in an 87-60 road blowout. The Bruins jumped out to a 19-7 lead in the first 10 minutes of action and never let up on the Terrapins for the rest of the action. Jaylen Clark stepped up with 19 points, six rebounds, and four steals in the win.

Kentucky (7-2) has won four straight heading into the Garden today and last downed Yale in a 69-59 victory last Saturday. The Bulldogs stayed within single digits for a bulk of the contest, but the Wildcats simply proved to be too much to keep up with in this one. Oscar Tshiebwe dominated with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

The Pick: Kentucky ML

Something has to give as both programs have had their struggles against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents so far this season. This is a true coinflip battle as both teams match up against each other well across the board in KenPom metrics. In this situation, I'll defer to the team who has the best player on the floor and predict that Oscar Tshiebwe proves to make all of the difference for UK. Give me the Wildcats on the moneyline.

  
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