James Madison at Kentucky

Kentucky opened Tuesday with an 85-57 win over Manhattan, and the Wildcats led by 39 with five minutes left before the Jaspers closed on a 13-2 run. Manhattan's 57 points came against a defense that held its three exhibition opponents to 35.4 percent shooting, including 24.3 percent on 3-pointers (19 of 78). James Madison lives on the perimeter. The Dukes took nearly half their shots from 3-point range in an 86-77 home loss to Miami (Ohio) on Monday. Miami scored 86 in that game, and I weigh it against Kentucky's four games: no opponent has scored more than 76, and that took overtime against UCF. Kentucky also won the paint 30-20 in that UCF game, so James Madison's misses from deep run into size on the glass. Mark Pope stopped play in the closing minutes Tuesday over careless turnovers. A team coached to cut those gives the Dukes fewer easy chances in transition. This is James Madison's first road game of the season and the first meeting ever between the programs, in front of a crowd that makes a visitor's offense look rushed. Kentucky's length against a team built on 3-pointers is why the UNDER is the bet tonight.