Overview
- The opening-round game is Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET in St. Louis, a 9:15 a.m. local start for Santa Clara and only its second game this season east of the Rockies.
- Santa Clara averages 11 offensive rebounds and deploys a sizable frontcourt, a focus after Kentucky’s combined minus-36 rebounding margin against Florida and Tennessee.
- The Broncos average nearly nine steals per game and force about 14 turnovers, highlighting ball-security concerns for Kentucky.
- Kentucky averages 80.8 points and 8.1 made threes per game, while Santa Clara averages 82.9 points and 10.1 made threes.
- BetMGM lists Kentucky as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 160.5, as recent form shows the Wildcats 4-6 in their last 10 and the Broncos 7-3.