Up-Temp Game expected with Wildcats and Heels

The CBS Sports Classic is being played at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Kentucky Wildcats and the North Carolina Tar Heels are expected to run and gun up and down the court. Expect a college basketball game to break out at the track meet. The seventh-ranked Tar Heels will try to keep up with the sixth-ranked Wildcats today at 5:45 p.m. Oddsmakers currently have the Wildcats listed as 1½-point favorites versus the Tar Heels. The game’s total is sitting at 171. John Calipari’s team leads the nation with 71.3 field goal attempts per game. North Carolina ranks 15th at 64.7 shots per game or 1.6 shots per minute. Kentucky’s average possession length of 13.5 seconds ranks fourth nationally, according to Kenpom.com. North Carolina’s possessions average 14.4 seconds, ranking 12th nationally. In their last action, North Carolina was a 73-71 winner at home against the Tennessee Volunteers. They failed to cover the -19-point spread as favorites. North Carolina has the best rebounding margin in the country at plus-14.8. They also rank first in the country in offensive-rebounding percentage. Kentucky was a 96-73 winner in their most recent outing at home against the Hofstra Pride. They failed to cover the -25.5-point spread as favorites. Kentucky has four players who average at least 12.1 points. They are led by shooting guard Malik Monk’s 19.4 points. He is at the heart of the Wildcats’ run and gun offense. His 151 field goal attempts are 33 more than the next player, in point guard De’Aaron Fox. His 78 3-point tries are double the amount of the next Wildcat, in reserve guard Mychal Mulder.

CBS Sports Classic Stats and Matchups

Kentucky: Team record: 9-1 SU,7-3 ATS Kentucky is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games Kentucky is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kentucky’s last 6 games North Carolina: Team record: 10-1 SU,6-5 ATS Current Streak: won 3 straight games. North Carolina is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games North Carolina is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games when playing Kentucky UNC is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Kentucky Next up: Kentucky at Louisville Wednesday, December 21 North Carolina home to Northern Iowa Wednesday, December 21 Get all of your College Basketball Odds at Bovada Online Sportsbook.