No. 23 Kentucky (1-0) will host James Madison (0-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena in Lexington, looking to remain unbeaten after an 85-57 season-opening win over Manhattan. The Wildcats are 24.5-point favorites with an over/under of 156.5 points, according to the latest odds.
Key Players and Early Form
Freshman Milan Momcilovic led Kentucky with 24 points in the opener, while the Dukes are paced by forward Paul Jones III, who averages 14.0 points per game. James Madison fell to Miami (OH) 86-77 in their first contest.
Projection Model Leans Under
The SportsLine Projection Model, which has posted an 11-1 record on top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to 2025, projects the total to stay under 156.5 points. The model sees five Kentucky players reaching double figures: Alex Wilkins (over 20 points), Momcilovic (over 16), Zoom Diallo (over 15), Justin McBride (over 13) and Jerone Morton (over 11). For James Madison, Gage Lattimore (over 13), Cavan Reilly (over 10) and Adrian Myers (over 10) are projected to score in double digits. Kentucky also went under the total in its season opener.
The model indicates one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations, though the specific side is available only via SportsLine. The money line lists Kentucky at -9091 and James Madison at +3500.
