The biggest game of the week is here, as #4 Kentucky takes on #7 Gonzaga in the Battle in Seattle. Kentucky is coming fresh off its first loss of the season and traveling across the country to play in the Zags' backyard. ESPN has rated this game as 95.9 in BPI game projections, which essentially means it's going to be a great game. Two of the best teams in the country are facing off.
As of this morning, Vegas has moved the odds even further in Gonzaga's favor to 6.5. ESPN analytics gives the Bulldogs a 59.3% chance to win. Evan Miyakawa, a college basketball analytics expert, has the Zags winning by 5, with a probability of Gonzaga winning at 65.6%. Many other experts see Gonzaga winning this game over Kentucky. Add that to the recent loss to Clemson, the travel across the country, playing in a timezone three hours different, and the fact that Lamont Butler may not be 100% has Kentucky fans feeling pessimistic.
Justin Rowland of CatsIllustrated.com (a Kentucky Rivals site) asked fans to send in their score predictions on X, and the first ten responses all favored Gonzaga.
And wow… first ten responses all pick the Zags. Come on now
— Big Blue Drew (@BigBlueDrew33) December 7, 2024
There are 91 replies to the original tweet, and more are predicting the Zags to win than the Cats. Many fans are pointing out that it really depends on Butler's availability.
Depends on butler… if he’s out we lose by 10-15 if he plays it’s a toss up
— Jared Flanery (@jcflanery) December 7, 2024
Not all of Big Blue Nation is pessimistic about the game; many are hopeful and predicting Kentucky will shock Gonzaga like they did against Duke. There is even one of the biggest experts in college basketball who thinks Kentucky will pull it off, Jon Rothstein.
Kentucky was just 7-27 from three-point range in its loss to Clemson earlier in the week.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 7, 2024
Wildcats are due to bounce back today against Gonzaga.
The Battle in Seattle!
Final Four caliber tilt in the Great Northwest.
Some Kentucky fans are even making sure they keep all the receipts and bookmarks on the other fans who are prediciting Gonzaga. They are ready to rub in a Wildcats win if Kentucky does pull it off.
The replies to this tweet have officially been bookmarked https://t.co/ZmWeXOay23
— WT - Lamont Enthusiast (@WildcatsTongue) December 7, 2024
Ultimately, it looks like it will be an all-time classic and should be an exciting game. You won't want to miss it, even if you have to stay up until after midnight to watch the whole thing. Kentucky and Gonzaga tip off at 10 pm EST on ESPN2.