A Top 25 matchup that will surely entertain will be on the docket this evening as the #8 Miami Hurricanes tip-off with the #12 Kentucky Wildcats. Check out our college basketball odds series where our Miami-Kentucky prediction and pick will be made.

Entering play with a flawless 5-0 record, the Hurricanes were able to snag an eight-point win over the Kansas State Wildcats as Miami won the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. With tonight serving as their first true road test at Rupp Arena, can the ‘Canes overcome all odds by shocking the Wildcats on their home floor?

Meanwhile, outside of a hard-fought loss to a top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks squad, Kentucky has take care of business including coming off an enormous 118 points scored in a 36-point victory at the hands of the Marshall Thundering Herd. At 5-1 overall, it is hard to argue against the fact that the Wildcats will be a clear-cut threat in the SEC this season due to their rare athleticism and extreme discipline when out on the hardwood.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Miami-Kentucky Odds

Miami: +6.5 (-110)

Kentucky: -6.5 (-110)

Over: 164.5 (-110)

Under: 164.5 (-110)

How to Watch Miami vs. Kentucky

Time: 7:30 ET/4:30 PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Miami Will Cover The Spread

On the heels of reaching the Final Four last season, Miami enters the 2023-2024 regular season with lofty expectations despite the losses of ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong and Second-Team ACC member Jordan Miller. Although Miami would be better with those names on the floor this season, head coach Jim Larranaga has done a fantastic job in reloading this roster year in and year out by dominating the recruiting trail. Fast forward to this season, and the Hurricanes are on a tear to start.

Legitimately enough, Miami is a bonafide three-point shooting squad that can shoot a team straight out of the gym. As it stands, Miami is fresh off of shooting 50% from way downtown against K-State as they connected on 12 of their 24 three-point attempts. All together, no team in America shoots it like the Hurricanes do from beyond the arc as Miami also boasts the top three-point percentage in the entire nation. Be on the lookout for these hot hands on the road to have a big say in whether or not they can cover the spread in impressive fashion.

In addition, the one area of concern for Miami is their lack of size down low. With how reliant they are with the three-ball, the Hurricanes often neglect their want to get the bigs involved offensively and they also struggle to corral rebounds at a consistent rate. The biggest downfall that could occur in this for the ‘Canes is if they give up way too many second-chance points on the boards to Kentucky. Overall, Miami is ranked as the 205th best rebounding team in the country which is simply no good.

Why Kentucky Will Cover The Spread

If the Wildcats are going to cap off one of their biggest wins of the season in front of the home faithful, look no further than Kentucky to give Miami a taste of their own medicine from deep. Believe it or not, but never in the 15 seasons while at the helm in Kentucky has John Calipari's team attempted more three-pointers than they do now. Oddly enough, the Wildcats are averaging 29 three-point attempts through the first six games of the year. While it is unlikely that this kind of offensive game plan will continue under the leadership of Calipari, it is an encouraging sign to say the least.

Most importantly, capitalizing at their free-throw line in what could be a game that comes down to the wire will be critical. At the moment, UK only shoots 73.4% from the charity stripe which ranks as the 96th-best mark in the nation. Simply put, it has yet to be seen if Kentucky can come through in crunch time in this facet, but they did happen to go 12-15 from the line in their 118-point thrashing of Marshall.

All in all, Kentucky's schedule up to this point has been tough to say the least, and there's no question that the ‘Cats have been tested through the first few weeks of the season. Because of this, Kentucky's battle-tested nature could help them prevail versus Miami.

Final Miami-Kentucky Prediction & Pick

It'll be raining three's at Rupp Arena on this Tuesday night, and it will most likely come down to which side can find nylon more often than not when they receive such open looks. Even if Miami keeps their hot shooting intact, going into a hostile environment like Rupp Arena will be far too difficult to overcome. Side with Kentucky to take care of business resulting in their biggest win of the young season.

Final Miami-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: Kentucky -6.5 (-110)