Kentucky Basketball Game today: Kentucky vs Duquesne, Line, Predictions, Odds, TV Channel; Live Stream for Basketball Game Nov. 7
By Eric Thorne
The Kentucky basketball team is set for its second game of the season and will welcome back two missing players Sahvir Wheeler and Daimion Collins as the Wildcats host Duquesne at Rupp Arena.
Wheeler was nursing an injury from the exhibition games and Collins is still dealing with the unexpected death of his father. He has been in town this week practicing and hanging with teammates and will play tonight before heading home to Texas for this weekend’s funeral.
Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning National Player of the Year, has also been out of the lineup this season from off-season surgery and is itching to get back on the floor. IF coach John Calipari plays him it would be for very limited minutes to get some game work in. He should be ready for Tuesday night’s game in Indianapolis against Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
With the three out, Calipari experimented with a variety of lineups in the opening 95-63 win over Howard.
One of those lineup changes meant moving players around including Cason Wallace who is so versatile and talented he can play nearly any position on the floor, a big thing for Calipari and his positionless philosophy.
Wallace spoke about that earlier this week and what other challenges that presents.
“I felt as though my role is to be versatile. Even when we get the whole team back, it’s going to be good for us because we have a lot of guys who are versatile like that…….It’s definitely more of a challenge than being at one position. The coaches are doing a good job of preparing me, learning the plays from different spots.”
Wallace and the Dukes Dae Dae Grant will likely vie for spotlight roles tonight as both were key figures for their teams in opening season victories. The Dukes topped Montana 91-63 on Tuesday where Grant made all eight of his field goals, including all six of his three-pointers, for a game-high 25 points.
Antonio Reeves was the top Kentucky point-getter with 22, while Wallace nearly dropped a triple-double netting 15 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing eight rebounds.
Duquesne finished 1-16 in A-10 action and 1-10 on the road a season ago and added 10 new players to its roster. The Dukes averaged 10.0 assists per game on 24.7 made field goals last season.
Kentucky basketball vs Duquesne Odds and Betting
Kentucky is a 17.5-point favorite according to FanDuel. The over/under has been set at 143.5 points and the Moneyline has Kentucky at -3,500 and Howard at +1,200. Not really good odds if you are hoping for a payoff from this game.
Kentucky vs Duquesne Prediction Today
This will be the third meeting between the two programs with Kentucky winning the previous two. The first was in 1982 in the UKIT 55-42 and then again in 2016 in the Bluegrass Showcase 93-59. In both cases, the Wildcats were ranked No. 2 at the time.
Speaking of the UKIT, I would love to see Kentucky bring back the two-day event that ran from 1953-1989 and gave non-season ticket holders a chance to see the Cats on consecutive nights in December. Big Blue went 64-10 during those event games.
KenPom gives Kentucky a 97% chance of winning and predicts an 82-61 victory for the Wildcats. The ESPN Predictor has Kentucky with a 95.2 percent shot of winning
Wildcat Blue Nation staff prediction
Eric Thorne – Kentucky 84, Duquesne 57
Tyler Reed – Kentucky 82, Duquesne 65
What Channel is the Kentucky Basketball Game On
Today’s game will be on the SEC Network with tipoff set for 7 PM EST.
Play-by-play Mike Morgan
Analyst Mark Wise
Kentucky versus Duquesne Live Stream
Today’s Kentucky game can be streamed live on the SEC Network, WatchESPN and on FuboTV.
Kentucky over the airwaves:
For the radio enthusiasts, our stellar team of Tom Leach (play-by-play), Jack Givens, and Dick Gabriel (sideline) will have the call on the UK Sports Network. They can be heard at 840 AM around Louisville and in the Lexington area at both 630 AM and 98.1 FM. If you are outside these areas check your local statins or you can always listen online at www.UKAthletics.com. The game also will be carried on satellite radio: Sirius (Channel 138), XM (Channel 190), and the SiriusXM app (Channel 961).
Kentucky’s Next Game and Upcoming Schedule
Kentucky takes on some serious competition next Tuesday in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis facing Michigan State in the opener at 7 PM on ESPN. Here’s a look at their schedule for the following five games.
November 17 South Carolina State 7 PM SEC Network
November 20 @ Gonzaga 7:30 PM ESPN
November 23 North Florida 4 PM SEC Network Plus
November 29 Bellarmine 7 PM TBD
December 4 Michigan in London, England 1 PM ABC