The No. 1-ranked Kentucky Wildcats look to stay perfect when they take on the Evansville Purple Aces on Tuesday. The Wildcats (2-0) have been impressive so far this season, knocking off then-No. 1 Michigan State 69-62 in the opener before rolling over Eastern Kentucky, while the Purple Aces (1-0) opened with a 79-75 win over Ball State on Saturday. Tip-off from Rupp Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET in the first-ever meeting between the schools. The Wildcats are 25-point favorites in the latest Kentucky vs. Evansville odds, while the over-under is 137.5. Before making any Kentucky vs. Evansville picks of your own, see the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has crushed its top-rated against-the-spread college basketball picks the past three years, returning $2,770 to $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on Kentucky vs. Evansville. We can tell you it's leaning over, but it's also generated an against the spread pick that hits in well over 60 percent of simulations. That one is available exclusively at SportsLine.
The model knows the Wildcats have had a winning record in 29 straight seasons, including 28 years of 20-plus victories. They have made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 26 trips in 28 years. Under coach John Calipari, Kentucky is 307-71 in 11 seasons. The Wildcats are 11-1 against the spread in their last 12 non-conference games.
By moving to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll, it marked the seventh time in 11 years the Cats have reached the top spot under Calipari. Offensively, the Wildcats are led by freshman guard Tyrese Maxey, who is tops on the team with 17.5 points per game, including a 26-point performance against Michigan State. He is also averaging four rebounds per game.
But just because the Wildcats are off to a fast start does not guarantee they will cover the Kentucky vs. Evansville spread on Tuesday.
That's because Evansville, which is looking for its fourth winning season in six years and fifth in eight, enters this season with plenty of firepower. Sophomore forward DeAndre Williams scored 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting in the season-opener, the top debut performance by anyone at Evansville in 33 seasons. He also added nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in 28 minutes of action.
The Purple Aces are already well-seasoned. They got a jump on things when they played three exhibition games in Europe in early August, going 3-0. Evansville returns seven players from last year's team, 61.8 percent of its scoring and 62.3 percent of its rebounding.
So who wins Evansville vs. Kentucky? And which side of the spread can you bank on in well over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Evansville vs. Kentucky spread to jump on Tuesday, all from the advanced model that is up more than $2,700 on its college basketball picks the last three years, and find out.
