KenPom predicts the final score between #9 Kentucky and Nicholls

Kentucky has played a few exhibition games this offseason, but on Tuesday, the season is set to officially begin against the Nicholls Colonels. The Wildcats are coming off an ugly loss to the Georgetown Hoyas in Rupp Arena, but luckily for Mark Pope's squad, this is an exhibition game.

Nicholls is a team that KenPom has ranked 225th overall. The offense is ranked 258th while the defense is ranked 181st.

The analytics give the Wildcats a big edge in this game as Kentucky is ranked in the top ten on both offense and defense on KenPom.

KenPom has predicted the final score of the basketball game and has the Wildcats winning 90-62.

Oct 30, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope claps as he watches the action during the first half against the Georgetown Hoyas at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

In the loss to Georgetown, not a lot went well for the Wildcats. The defense was getting exposed, and the offense was nonexistent. Obviously, the Wildcats were without Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen in this basketball game, and not having these two hurts the offense a ton.

Lowe did not play in the Purdue exhibition, but Aberdeen did suit up in this game. Aberdeen's defense and decision-making at point guard play a large role for this team, and not having that against Georgetown was a big reason the Wildcats struggled so much.

Kentucky has also struggled to shoot the ball from deep. In the two exhibition games combined, the Wildcats went 16-59 from three, which comes out to 27%.

Nicholls will be the worst team the Wildcats have played so far, so hopefully this game can be a confidence booster for Pope's team. It is still to be seen if Lowe and Aberdeen will suit up in this game, but having them on the floor will make a big difference for this team.

The three-point shooting has been a struggle, but having these two guards on the floor is going to be a big boost for the Wildcats as they look to pick up their first win of the season. Obviously, the Wildcats are an elite team and without question have the talent needed to win a lot of games this season. The Georgetown game proved this team has a lot to improve on.

A game like this one against Nicholls gives the Wildcats an opportunity to fix some of their struggles before their first big game of the season on the 11th against the Louisville Cardinals. KenPom and ESPN both predict the Wildcats to win big over Nicholls in the first game of the season.