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Sports Book: Philadelphia 76ers Would Be Huge Favorite Over Kentucky

By Phil Watson

Nov 18, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) passes the ball while being defended by Kansas Jayhawks forward Jamari Traylor (31) and guard Wayne Selden Jr. (1) during the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Willie Cauley-Stein (15) passes the ball while being defended by Kansas Jayhawks forward Jamari Traylor (31) and guard Wayne Selden Jr. (1) during the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports /
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A Las Vegas sports book says the Philadelphia 76ers would be hugely favored over the Kentucky Wildcats were they to play.

In an annual tradition as timeless as the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, the notion has been thrown out there—by an NBA player, no less—that the Kentucky Wildcats would beat the Philadelphia 76ers in a seven-game series.

Eric Bledsoe of the Phoenix Suns—who played at Kentucky—told Sirius XM NBA Radio on Wednesday that Kentucky can “definitely” beat the 76ers.

But the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook told ESPN’s Marc Stein something entirely different:

Every season in the NFL and the NBA, someone floats the ridiculous notion that a team full of amateurs—teenagers most of them, in the case of Kentucky—could beat a team of professionals.

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Yes, the 76ers have looked bad during an 0-11 start. Yes, Kentucky looked dominant in a 72-40 pummeling of No. 5 Kansas on Tuesday.

But those two events have about as much in common as apples and Volkswagens.

Even as talent deprived as the 76ers are by NBA standards, let’s not forget that they are NBA players—guys who do nothing but work on their basketball skills year-round and have access to the best facilities and best training regimens.

Nerlens Noel, after all, was a fairly dominant player in his abbreviated college career season at Kentucky and Tony Wroten—hardly an NBA star—did this to a bunch of high-level college players and D-League types at the Seattle Pro-Am this summer:

It’s one of those things people say in an effort to either make a joke about how bad a pro team is or to try to emphasize how good a collegiate squad is.

But it’s wrong to the degree of being silly to seriously consider the idea.

At least until 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie has had some more time to work on his “rebuilding” plan.

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