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The NCAA Tournament marches onward with the second round underway this weekend. The No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats face off against XXX on Sunday, March 19. Let’s take a look at the opening odds for this East Region matchup.
2023 NCAA Tournament, second round: No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Kansas State odds
Spread: Kansas State -1
Total: 145.5
Moneyline: Kansas State -115, Kentucky -105
Game date: Sunday, March 19
Game time: 2:40 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
Kentucky (22-11, 12-6 SEC) finally broke its postseason losing streak with a 61-53 victory over No. 11 Providence in the opening round, marking the Wildcats’ first tournament victory since 2019. They were propelled by Oscar Tshiebew’s eight points and 25 rebounds, the most by a UK player in an NCAA Tournament game since 2000, while Antonio Reeves led the way in scoring with a game-high 22 points and five made threes. Jacob Toppin finished with 18 points and six rebounds, as the Wildcats outrebounded the Friars 48-31 on the glass.
K-State handled business against a game Montana State team with a 77-65 win on Friday. Keyontae Johnson finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, and as a team the Wildcats forced 16 turnovers. K-State brings a Top 20 defense by KenPom, and while they’ll be behind in terms of name cache, they will at least open as a favorite on the odds board.