No. 23 Kentucky will host James Madison on Friday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, looking to stay unbeaten after a dominant 85-57 win over Manhattan in their season opener. The Wildcats (1-0) received 24 points from Milan Momcilovic in that game and enter as substantial favorites against a Dukes team that fell to 0-1 with an 86-77 loss to Miami (OH). James Madison forward Paul Jones III leads the Dukes with 14.0 points per game, but Kentucky brings depth and home-court advantage in what projects to be a lopsided non-conference affair.
Tipoff from Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Kentucky is a 24.5-point favorite in the latest odds, while the over/under is set at 156.5 points. The money line lists Kentucky at -9091 and James Madison at +3500.
The SportsLine Projection Model, which enters the 2026-27 season on an 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to 2025, projects the total to go Under 156.5. The model has the Under hitting in 52% of simulations. Kentucky went Under the total in its first game of the season.
According to the model, five Kentucky players are projected to score in double figures: Alex Wilkins with more than 20 points, Milan Momcilovic with more than 16, Zoom Diallo with more than 15, Justin McBride with more than 13, and Jerone Morton with more than 11. For James Madison, three players are projected to reach double figures: Gage Lattimore with more than 13, Cavan Reilly with more than 10, and Adrian Myers with more than 10.
The model also indicates that one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations.
