The Kentucky Wildcats will look to continue their dominance over the Louisville Cardinals when they meet in non-conference action on Saturday. The Wildcats (1-5), who have lost five in a row, have won three straight in the series. The Cardinals (5-1) have won 85 of their last 89 non-conference games at home, spanning the last 11 seasons. Louisville’s only loss was to ninth-ranked Wisconsin 85-48 on Dec. 19.

Tip-off from KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., is set for 1 p.m. ET. Louisville is averaging 70.5 points per game, while Kentucky averages 65.8. The Cardinals are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Kentucky vs. Louisville odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 133.5. Before making any Louisville vs. Kentucky picks, check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It’s off to a profitable start in the 2020-21 season, going 12-9 on all its top-rated picks and returning almost $300. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Kentucky vs. Louisville. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Louisville vs. Kentucky:

• Kentucky vs. Louisville spread: Louisville -4.5
• Kentucky vs. Louisville over-under: 133.5 points
• Kentucky vs. Louisville money line: Kentucky +170, Louisville -200
• UK: The Wildcats are averaging 16.7 turnovers per game
• UL: Entering Saturday’s game, the Cardinals have won at least six of their first seven games on nine occasions over the last 13 years

Why Kentucky can cover

The Wildcats start three freshmen and have been learning on the fly against a challenging schedule. Freshman guard Brandon Boston Jr. leads the way and is averaging a team-high 14.5 points. He is also averaging 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals. He recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Richmond. The Preseason All-SEC First Team selection is on the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, NABC and Julius Erving Award watch lists.

Freshman guard Terrance Clarke is also off to a fast start, averaging 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He scored 22 points against Georgia Tech. The consensus five-star prospect is on both the Jerry West Award and Naismith Trophy watch lists. 

Why Louisville can cover

The Cardinals are off to a solid start and are led by graduate transfer guard Carlik Jones, the ACC’s assist leader. He is the only player in the Atlantic Coast Conference to rank among the top 20 in each of scoring (10th at 16.0 points per game), rebounding (16th at 6.4) and assists (first at 5.6). Last year at Radford, Jones was the only player in the country to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, and was one of 16 players in Division I to do so since the 1996-97 season. Jones needs three assists for 500 in his career.

Also leading Louisville is sophomore guard David Johnson, who is averaging 13 points per game. He is hitting 48.4 percent of his shots from the floor and is averaging 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals. In the Cardinals’ last game against Pittsburgh, Johnson (17 points and 11 rebounds) recorded his first double-double. He also had team highs in points (12), assists (4) and steals (2) at Wisconsin.

How to make Kentucky vs. Louisville picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total, with the simulations projecting 135 total points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in 70 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Louisville vs. Kentucky? And which side of the spread hits in 70 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Kentucky vs. Louisville spread you need to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.