No. 23 Kentucky opens the 2026-27 season at home against Manhattan on Tuesday, November 3, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. The Wildcats finished 22-14 last season and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, marking back-to-back 10-8 SEC records under coach Mark Pope. Kentucky added star transfer Milan Momcilovic from Iowa State and returns 7-foot center Malachi Moreno, a defensive anchor. Manhattan went 12-20 last year and is picked to finish 10th out of 13 teams in the newly named Metro Conference, formerly the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. This will be the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Kentucky enters as a 33.5-point favorite with an over/under of 158.5 points. The money line lists Kentucky at -100000 and Manhattan at +8000. A projection model simulating the game 10,000 times projects a total of 157 points, with the under hitting in 56% of simulations. The under was 18-13 in Manhattan games last season, and scoring is not considered a strength for the Jaspers. The model also indicates one side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations. Kentucky must replace 11 players, including four starters, which may affect early-season cohesion.
