The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats (9-1) will face the Louisville Cardinals (6-4) in a rivalry game on Saturday in the Battle of the Bluegrass. Kentucky is off to an excellent start in its first season under head coach Mark Pope, winning games against then-No. 6 Duke and then-No. 7 Gonzaga. The Wildcats suffered their lone loss at Clemson earlier this month, but they responded with wins over the Bulldogs and Colgate. Louisville lost three straight games prior to its 77-74 win over UTEP on Wednesday.  

Tipoff is set for 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday at Rupp Arena. Kentucky is favored by 9.5 points in the latest Kentucky vs. Louisville odds, while the over/under is 159 points per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Louisville vs. Kentucky picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered Week 6 of the 2024-25 season on a 174-125 betting roll (+2196) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Kentucky vs. Louisville. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the Kentucky vs. Louisville game:

  • Kentucky vs. Louisville spread: Kentucky -9.5
  • Kentucky vs. Louisville over/under: 159 points
  • Kentucky vs. Louisville money line: Kentucky -578, Louisville +424
  • Kentucky vs. Louisville picks: See picks here
  • Kentucky vs. Louisville streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why Kentucky can cover

Kentucky put together a lackluster performance against Colgate on Wednesday, but that came immediately following a pair of intense road games. The Wildcats lost to Clemson by four points last Tuesday before bouncing back with an overtime win against then-No. 7 Gonzaga on Saturday. They overcame an 18-point deficit in that upset win, as senior forward Andrew Carr had 19 points and seven rebounds. 

Four of his teammates finished in double figures, including an 18-point, five-assist and three-rebound performance from Jaxson Robinson. Junior guard Otega Oweh leads Kentucky with 15.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while second-leading scorer Lamont Butler (ankle) is questionable. Robinson (12.5), Koby Brea (12.4), Carr (11.0) and Amari Williams (10.6) are all scoring in double figures as well. See which team to pick here. 

Why Louisville can cover

Kentucky could still be dealing with some lingering fatigue from its pair of cross-country road games against Clemson and Gonzaga. The Wildcats were never able to take a commanding lead against Colgate on Wednesday, leading by just two points at halftime in a game that they won by 11 points as 32.5-point favorites. While Butler is questionable for this game, senior guard Kerr Kriisa is out indefinitely. 

Louisville has already knocked off one top-15 team this season, beating then-No. 14 Indiana in an 89-61 blowout in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Cardinals also beat West Virginia in overtime before losing to Oklahoma in the title game. They were able to snap a three-game losing skid on Wednesday, as senior guard Terrence Edwards Jr. scored a team-high 22 points in a win over UTEP. See which team to pick here. 

How to make Kentucky vs. Louisville picks

The model has simulated Louisville vs. Kentucky 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in nearly 70% simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Kentucky vs. Louisville, and which side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Louisville vs. Kentucky spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 174-125 roll on top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.