LSU Tigers vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/11/2026

Game Time: 12:30 pm ET, Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Venue:  Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN 

Where to Watch:  SEC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  LSU +7.5, Kentucky -7.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  LSU +7.5, Kentucky -7.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  LSU +7.5, Kentucky -7.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

LSU Tigers:  15-16 (3-15) (16th place, SEC)

Kentucky Wildcats:  19-12 (10-8) (9th place, SEC)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is on a HOT STREAK in college basketball on a 9-3 CBB RUN for +$5,600 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

LSU Tigers:  1-4  last 5

Kentucky Wildcats:  2-3  last 5

LSU is entering this game with a 15-16 record overall, a 3-15 record in conference games, and they are 3-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Texas A&M Aggies in their last game. Max Mackinnon led the team in points in that game with 20 while Jalen Reece was next on the team with 17. Jalen Reece led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Mike Nwoko led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 44.3% from the field, 28.6% from 3-point range, and 70% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 81.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 78.2 PPG against them. LSU has an ATS record of 17-14 this season and their O/U record is 14-15-2.

Kentucky is entering this game with a 19-12 record overall, a 10-8 conference record, and they are 1-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Florida Gators in their last game. Otega Oweh led the team in points in that game with 28 while Denzel Aberdeen was next on the team with 15. Malachi Moreno and Denzel Aberdeen each led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Malachi Moreno and Mouhamed Dioubate each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 39.4% from the field, 34.8% from 3-point range, and 81% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 81.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.7 PPG against them. Kentucky has an ATS record of 15-16 this season and their O/U record is 15-16.

The current betting odds have Kentucky listed as a 7.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 19-12 record overall and their 10-8 conference record which has them right in the middle of the SEC. They haven't been great in these neutral site games this season with a 1-2 record in those. Meanwhile, LSU has looked terrible in their games this season with their 15-16 record overall and their 3-15 conference record which has them right at the bottom of the SEC. They have looked good in their neutral site games though with their 3-1 record in those. LSU was great in their neutral site games in the preseason, but they have looked terrible lately and all season they have shown that they don't have the talent to compete in the SEC. They are 1-4 in their last 5 games and ended the season with a loss to Texas A&M. Kentucky hasn't looked any better lately as they are 2-3 in their last 5 games, but they have also been able to hold their own with some of the stronger teams in the conference. They are off a loss to Florida in their last one, but they didn't get blown out in that game and they still have the talent to make a deep run in this tournament. Kentucky only won the only game against LSU this season by 1 point on the road, but they are going to bring their best effort here to make sure they don't get caught in another tight game. Kentucky has also been beating up on bad teams all season and they aren't going to be overlooking LSU this time. The best way to place a bet here is on Kentucky to cover the spread in this game. 

LSU Kentucky Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (12:30 pm ET start time) is Kentucky 86 LSU 61.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this LSU Tigers Kentucky Wildcats prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

LSU Tigers: 1-7 ATS as a neutral court underdog or pick. 12-24 ATS when the total is 150 to 159.5. 2-7 ATS revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 11-6 UNDER off a home loss against a conference rival. 24-10 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game.

Kentucky Wildcats: 6-1 ATS after 2 or more consecutive losses. 6-1 ATS when playing against a marginal losing team (Win Pct. 40% to 49%). 7-4 ATS at home off a loss against a conference rival. 6-3 UNDER as a neutral court favorite or pick. 7-0 UNDER in a neutral court game where the total is 150 to 159.5.

LSU Tigers:  D. Thomas Jr. (G) Out - Foot. J. Reed (F) Out - Achilles.

Kentucky Wildcats:  B. Hawthorne (F) Out - Redshirt. K. Williams (G) Out - Foot. J. Lowe (G) Out - Undisclosed. J. Quaintance (F) Questionable - Knee.

“A heck of a college basketball game this Saturday evening. I was really proud of the fight and competitive spirit of our players, and I thought they laid it on the line for what ended up being 55 minutes.” - Matt McMahon after his team’s loss against Texas A&M in their regular season finale. 

“For us, when we guard, we’re actually pretty good. When we guard, we’re good. And all facets of that have to be great for us. Tonight we had just massive first-half transition breakdowns, and that’s tough for a number of reasons. We’re in a top wedge check, 123, and still, we just didn’t do what we set out to do. When we guard we’re in every game, and so it’s really important for us.” - Mark Pope on his team entering tournament season.

M. Mackinnon 

M. Nwoko 

M. Sutton 

P. Tamba 

D. Thomas

D. Aberdeen 

C. Chandler 

A. Jelavic 

M. Moreno 

O. Oweh

PPG: Max Mackinnon (15.3)

APG: Dedan Thomas Jr. (6.5)

Reb/G: Pablo Tamba (7.4)

PPG: Otega Oweh (18.2)

APG: Denzel Aberdeen (3.5)

Reb/G: Malachi Moreno (6.6)

Coaches:

LSU Tigers: Matt McMahon (4th season)

Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Pope (2nd season)