Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats just had their postseason hopes kept alive by Otega Oweh and an impressive overtime display against the Santa Clara Broncos.
Now, after narrowly escaping an upset in the first round, the No. 7-seed Wildcats are set to take on the No. 2-seed Iowa State Cyclones. Despite ISU being favored to pull off the win, it isn't expected to be a blowout, leaving a lot of room for hope in the Kentucky locker room.
When Vegas released the opening odds, the Cyclones were only favored by 4.5 points, a minimal margin for a 2-seed facing a 7-seed that nearly lost in the first round.
Opening odds for (7) Kentucky vs. (2) Iowa State
- Spread: -4.5 Iowa State
- Money line: -200 Iowa State, +164 Kentucky
- Over-under: +/-146.5 points
Odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are liable to change at any time.
The reason the odds have the game finishing so closely? Iowa State senior forward Joshua Jefferson suffered an injury in the Cyclones' opening-round game against Tennessee State. As of now, his status for Iowa State's game against Kentucky is up in the air.
Entering the NCAA Tournament, both teams fell well short of securing their conference tournament titles. Heading into the second-round matchup, the Cyclones boast a 28-7 overall record, but the Wildcats aren't far behind with a 22-13 overall record of their own.
In the latest Coaches' Poll, Iowa State moved up to No. 6 in the national rankings, while Kentucky remained unranked.
If Pope wants to have his job saved (once again), he needs his players to pull off the upset, which should be easier than avoiding the first-round exit that took the Wildcats into overtime against Santa Clara.
The Cyclones and the Wildcats are set to play on Sunday, March 22, and the tip-off time will be announced once the games conclude on Friday.