Kentucky vs Santa Clara College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats (21-13) and the No. 10 Santa Clara Broncos (26-8) meet on Friday for a place in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The opening-round matchup tips off at 12:15 p.m. ET.

Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Friday, March 20, 2026
• Game time: 12:15 p.m. ET
• TV channel: CBS
• Location: St. Louis, Missouri
• Arena: Enterprise Center

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Santa Clara win (52.7%)

Before placing a wager on Friday's Kentucky-Santa Clara spread (Kentucky -3.5) or total (159.5 points), see the betting trends and insights below.

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Kentucky vs. Santa Clara: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• Kentucky has covered 17 times in 34 matchups with a spread this season.
• Santa Clara is 19-14-0 ATS this season.
• Kentucky (8-11) covers a lower percentage of games when it is favored by 3.5 points or more this season (42.1%) than Santa Clara (3-3) does as a 3.5+-point underdog (50%).
• The Wildcats sport the same winning percentage against the spread when playing at home (.500) as they do on the road.
• The Broncos have been better against the spread at home (10-4-0) than away (6-5-0) this season.

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara: Moneyline Betting Stats

• Kentucky has been the moneyline favorite in 16 games this season and has come away with the win 12 times (75%) in those contests.
• The Wildcats have a mark of 9-4 in contests where sportsbooks favor them by -156 or better on the moneyline.
• Santa Clara has won two of the seven games it was the moneyline underdog this season (28.6%).
• In games they have played as a moneyline underdog with odds of +130 or longer, the Broncos have a 1-4 record (winning only 20% of their games).
• Kentucky has an implied victory probability of 60.9% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.

Kentucky vs. Santa Clara Head-to-Head Comparison

• Kentucky averages 80.8 points per game (70th in college basketball) while allowing 73.8 per contest (179th in college basketball). It has a +236 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 7.0 points per game.
• Otega Oweh paces Kentucky, putting up 18.2 points per game (83rd in college basketball).
• Santa Clara puts up 82.9 points per game (38th in college basketball) while allowing 72.4 per outing (132nd in college basketball). It has a +354 scoring differential and outscores opponents by 10.5 points per game.
• Santa Clara's leading scorer, Christian Hammond, is 237th in college basketball, scoring 15.8 points per game.
• The Wildcats rank 80th in the country at 33.9 rebounds per game. That's 3.0 more than the 30.9 their opponents average.
• Malachi Moreno is 232nd in college basketball play with 6.4 rebounds per game to lead the Wildcats.
• The Broncos win the rebound battle by 2.4 boards on average. They collect 32.6 rebounds per game, 139th in college basketball, while their opponents pull down 30.2.
• Allen Graves' 6.5 rebounds per game lead the Broncos and rank 219th in the nation.
• Kentucky averages 102.2 points per 100 possessions on offense (74th in college basketball), and allows 93.5 points per 100 possessions (130th in college basketball).
• The Broncos' 104.1 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 44th in college basketball, and the 91.0 points they allow per 100 possessions rank 71st in college basketball.

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