Kentucky vs. West Virginia odds: Picks from expert who's 9-2 on Wildcats games

Two teams with strong postseason aspirations collide Saturday night when Kentucky visits West Virginia at 7 p.m. ET in a nationally-televised showdown on ESPN. West Virginia is favored by eight points, down two from the opening line.

In this huge college hoops showdown that features two promising teams jockeying for NCAA Tournament positioning, you need to see what SportsLine analyst Josh Nagel has to say.

Nagel is a Nevada-based expert with almost two decades of experience in the handicapping industry. He has won multiple handicapping contests and specializes in picking college sports.

And he has developed a knack for Kentucky basketball, as evidenced by his rock-solid 9-2 run picking for or against Big Blue. Anybody following his picks is way, way up right now.

Now, Nagel has studied every angle of this marquee matchup and locked in a strong point-spread pick. He's sharing only at SportsLine.

Nagel knows the seventh-ranked Mountaineers are 16-4 overall, but have lost three of their past four games, including a nine-point defeat on the road against TCU earlier this week.

The Mountaineers will be looking to get back on track through senior point guard Jevon Carter and their efficient offense. The Mountaineers, who are averaging 81.1 points, have the ninth-best scoring margin in the nation.

However, West Virginia's efficiency will be tested against Kentucky's athletic defense. The Wildcats are allowing opponents to score an average of 69.6 points.

And Kentucky has won four of its past five games against the Mountaineers, including a 39-point victory in their Sweet 16 matchup in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

But just because Kentucky has had success against West Virginia doesn't mean it will be able to go on the road and stay within the eight-point spread against a team ranked in the top 10 nationally.

The Wildcats have lost four of their past five against the spread vs. teams with a winning record, while the Mountaineers have won five straight ATS following an ATS loss.

Nagel has evaluated all of these circumstances and has locked in his ATS pick. And you can see it only at SportsLine.

So what side do you need to be all over in Kentucky vs. West Virginia? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of Kentucky-West Virginia you should back, all from a Nevada-based handicapper who is on a blistering 9-2 run on his picks involving the Wildcats.