In the first game of the Mark Pope era, the Kentucky Wildcats host the Wright State Raiders at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Wildcats are favored by 19 points on the spread. Also, the total for this affair is set at 160.5.
Here’s my Wright State vs Kentucky predictions and my college basketball picks for opening night.
Kentucky vs Wright State Prediction
My pick: Kentucky -18.5
My Wright State vs Kentucky best bet is on the Wildcats spread, with the best odds currently available at BetMGM. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Wright State vs Kentucky Odds, Lines, Pick
| Wright State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+20.5 -110 | 161 -110o / -110u | +1200 |
| Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-20.5 -110 | 161 -110o / -110u | -2400 |
- Wright State vs Kentucky spread: Kentucky -20.5
- Wright State vs Kentucky total: 161 points
- Wright State vs Kentucky moneyline: Kentucky -2400, Wright State +1200
- Wright State vs Kentucky best bet: Kentucky -18.5
Spread
I'm taking Kentucky to cover the large 18.5-point spread.
Moneyline
I'm taking Kentucky on the spread, not the moneyline.
Over/Under
There's no official total pick from me on this particular game.
My pick: Kentucky -18.5 (Play to -20)
Wright State vs Kentucky Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY |
| Date: | Monday, November 4 |
| Start Time: | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPNU |
Wright State vs Kentucky is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start time, live from Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY, on Monday. The game is live on ESPNU.
Kentucky vs Wright State NCAAB Betting Preview
Wright State Basketball
Despite missing the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back campaigns and the departure of Nagy after eight years on the job, the Raiders aren’t in rebuilding mode.
They stayed in-house with their latest head coaching hire, as Nagy’s long-time assistant Clint Sargent takes over. Sargent hasn’t been a head coach at the collegiate level yet, but the good news is he brought back eight players from last year’s roster that won 18 games.
The bad news is that Wright State lost 35.9 points per game between Trey Calvin and Tanner Holden. How the Raiders will replace those two veteran leaders is a major question mark; however, Brandon Noel and Alex Huibregtse can’t be discounted after both averaged double figures in 2023-24.
In fact, Noel could be in the mix for the Horizon League Player of the Year if he takes an expected leap this season.
The other question mark for the Raiders is on the defensive side of the ball. We know the offensive system is unlikely to change drastically, but the defense is in desperate need of a fix after allowing 81.2 points per game (seventh worst in the nation).
Kentucky Basketball
After 15 seasons as the head coach in Lexington, John Calipari’s welcome wore thin as he left for fellow SEC school Arkansas.
Whether you think they’re irrational or not, Big Blue Nation has the highest of expectations for their team year in and year out, and they weren’t too fond of Calipari toward the end of his tenure.
The Wildcats have won only one NCAA Tournament game since 2019 and they haven’t been to the Final Four since 2014. That’s almost unacceptable for a team that reels in the type of talent that Kentucky does on a yearly basis.
So, now it’s time to turn to Mark Pope, who was a team captain on the Wildcats’ 1996 national title team. His resume is stellar based on his stint at BYU, as he took the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament in their first season in the Big 12 and won 20+ games four times in his five years on the job.
The roster is almost entirely brand new, although the talent is evident. Jaxson Robinson (BYU) is the star of the show, but the Wildcats also have Lamont Butler (San Diego State), Kerr Kriisa (Arizona), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), Koby Brea (Dayton), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State), Amari Williams (Drexel), and Ansley Almonor (Fairleigh Dickinson).
That’s a whole lot of versatility, guard play and shooting, which all fits seamlessly into Pope’s offense.
They don’t have a clear-cut go-to guy (Robinson is looking like that right now) or an NBA lottery pick like Calipari’s teams of the past, but this is the oldest Kentucky roster in years.
Wright State vs Kentucky Betting Analysis
Early in the season, I’m always looking for an advantage based on returning experience, teams that have played together previously and have chemistry. With the transfer portal, that’s not as common anymore in the sport.
In this game, both of these teams are breaking in new head coaches, and Kentucky has a brand new roster from top to bottom.
Wright State has eight returning players, but its top two scorers from last year are gone, which means most of the returnees are jumping into brand new roles.
Normally this would make me lean toward the underdog, but I just think Kentucky has way too much of a talent and experience advantage (five of Kentucky’s transfers have played four seasons of hoops).
Even though it might take some time for Kentucky to reach its stride and this spread seems like a lot of points, I still expect a blowout in game one.
