The Kentucky Wildcats will get their biggest challenge so far this season when they face the Kansas Jayhawks in the Champions Classic Tuesday night. With a 9:30 p.m. ET tip from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, fans will get to see a top-5 matchup in Duke vs. Michigan State prior to this blueblood battle.
For Kentucky, it actually dropped in the rankings after a marginal win over the James Madison Dukes on Friday. The Cats were knotted up at 39 as they entered the intermission and then pulled away with a 50-point second half. Kentucky's backcourt led the way, with G Alex Wilkins and G Zoom Diallo both scoring 16 points.
That said, the Cats have actually seen their odds improve for Tuesday's matchup. They did open as a 5.5-point underdog,
but that has since dropped to 4.5 points. The total has stayed the same at 155.5. Those odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Kentucky opens up as a 5.5 point underdog in the Champions Classic vs. Kansas
— Cameron Waddle (@CameronWaddle) November 8, 2026
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/OxFMMFIxdu
Kentucky has a difficult non-conference schedule this season, with Indiana and top-10 Virginia on the schedule before it starts SEC play. The Cats, behind the elite three-point shooting that they brought in this offseason, will hope to stay undefeated against the Jayhawks.
They'll undoubtedly need F Milan Momcilovic and C Malachi Moreno to both step up. Those stars, who combined for 15 points on Friday, were just 5-for-14 shooting. With both not leaving their name in the 2026 NBA Draft, their return was impactful for Mark Pope's roster, and they'll be needed drastically on Tuesday.
As for the betting angle of this game, the Cats will enter 2-0 straight up, 0-2 against the spread (ATS), and 1-1 O/U. For Kansas, with a 30-point win and a 44-point win, it is 2-0 straight up, 2-0 ATS, and 1-1 O/U, holding its opponents to 65 points or fewer in both matchups.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky Wildcats' odds to take down Kansas Jayhawks improve
