The 2026-27 men’s college basketball season is just over a week old, and the annual Champions Classic highlights Tuesday’s slate with a pair of historic blue bloods. Kansas and Kentucky have gotten off to 2-0 starts, but this will be a major step up class for each of these mostly brand new teams.
The games in this series have been fairly close over the years, and the market is expecting a similar result this time around. Kansas enters this one as a 4.5-point favorite, with the total is set at 155.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Here’s a college basketball pick, preview and prediction for Tuesday’s game between the Jayhawks and the Wildcats.
Kansas vs. Kentucky prediction, preview
These teams both underachieved compared to preseason expectations a season ago, and both rosters look dramatically different from the previous campaign. Kentucky has consistently experienced roster turnover in the Mark Pope era and the third-year head coach rebuilt the team from scratch once again via the transfer portal in the offseason. That model hasn’t exactly worked out for Pope in first two seasons at the helm, but the Wildcats are certainly a talented bunch.
Milan Momcilovic was the prized offseason acquisition in the transfer portal, while Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins lead a talented Kentucky backcourt. However, the question mark surrounding this squad is clearly in the frontcourt, a weakness that already revealed itself in the Wildcats 89-80 victory over James Madison at Rupp Arena last Friday. That doesn’t bode well for a matchup against a veteran Kansas frontcourt that has the ability to dominate this matchup.
It’s been a difficult last couple of seasons for Bill Self following the Jayhawks national title in 2022, and it certainly feels like the longtime Kansas head coach isn’t long for this new era of college basketball. However, I’m a bit more optimistic about the Jayhawks trajectory this season, and they’ve looked the part of a Big 12 contender through a pair of dominant victories to this point.
Kansas is a veteran-laden team that has plenty of experience at every position. Melvin Council Jr. is set to miss time with a broken foot, but the Jayhawks backcourt still has freshman phenom Tyran Stokes and fifth-year senior Tre White to lead the way. Elsewhere, Trey Kaufman-Renn has fit like a glove into Self’s system, while Christian Reeves and Keanu Dawes are off to equally good starts in supporting roles. If the start to this season is any indication, Kansas’ defense should be one of the best in the nation, and that is the unit I’m most confident in heading into this matchup.
Kansas vs. Kentucky pick, best bet
Kentucky is an extremely new roster and there isn’t much cohesion on the court just yet. Furthermore, this is a defense that I have major concerns with, especially around the basket. With that in mind, I’m confident in Kansas’ ability to control the paint and dominate on the glass en route to a win and cover at the United Center.