Head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, John Calipari, is seeking revenge tonight against his former team, the Kentucky Wildcats. Our Arkansas vs. Kentucky prediction looks at whether or not he can.
Coach Calipari can silence all of his haters tonight with a win over the Wildcats Kentucky. The Championship-winning head coach left Kentucky this offseason in a controversial move to go to a conference rival, leaving many fans upset with his choice.
Kentucky has done just fine without Calipari, and Arkansas is struggling under his leadership, but can that all change tonight? Keep reading to find out.
Arkansas vs. Kentucky Betting Preview
All Arkansas vs. Kentucky odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Friday, Feb. 1, 2025.
- Spread
Kentucky -9.5 - CSN Spread
Kentucky -15.5 - Moneyline
Kentucky -600, Arkansas +440 - Over/Under
155 points - Game Time
Saturday, Feb. 1, 9:00 PM ET - Location
Rupp Arena | Lexington, KY - How To Watch
ESPN
Arkansas comes into this game with a 12-8 record and are measly 1-6 in SEC play. Against the spread, it doesn’t get better for Arkansas as they’ve only covered in five of their 20 games this season. As a road underdog, Arkansas is 0-2 ATS and in conference play, they have covered in one of seven games.
Kentucky is ranked as the 12th-best team in the nation with a 15-5 record. They are in the middle of the pack, however, in a very competitive SEC this season sitting at 4-3 in conference play. Against the spread, the Wildcats are 10-10, covering 50% of the time. As home favorites, they sit at 4-7 ATS, and in conference play, they are 4-3.
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Kentucky’s games have gone over 11 times and under nine times, while Arkansas’ games have gone over seven times and under 13. Kentucky’s games go over more frequently at home, as they hit that mark eight times and have gone under only four times.
Arkansas vs. Kentucky CSN Power Rankings Line
Kentucky is ranked number 6 on our power rankings and moved up 3 spots from last week after a win over Tennessee. Arkansas sits about sixty spots below Kentucky on our power rankings, coming in as the 64th-ranked team. While Arkansas isn’t a bad team, we project them to be heavily outclassed in this game.
Our power rankings metric loves Kentucky to cover -9.5 over Arkansas. It sits as one of the most valuable plays of the entire weekend, with our model projecting Kentucky to win by about 15.5 points.
Prediction for Arkansas vs. Kentucky
Emotions will be high tonight in Kentucky upon Coach Calipari’s return, but who is going to win? Calipari’s “bazooka holes in my body” comment certainly won’t ease the tensions.
Kentucky ranks as the third-best scoring offense in CBB, averaging 87.6 points per game. Arkansas’s scoring defense is ranked at 81st this season, so Kentucky should have their way offensively.
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However, Kentucky has the 287th-ranked scoring defense allowing 75.8 points per game. Arkansas’ offense is averaging just around that mark at 76.2 points per game. Kentucky guard Otega Oweh could be the difference, as he’s leading the Wildcats in scoring and has reached double-digit points in every game this season.
Expect this game to be a high-scoring game, and for Arkansas to hang around throughout, but in the end, Kentucky to pull away.
Prediction: Kentucky 90, Arkansas 79
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