Kansas Faces Kentucky Without Injured Starting Guard

Kansas enters the matchup after an 89-45 victory over Middle Tennessee, while Kentucky beat James Madison 89-80. The game is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago. Kansas is favored by 4.5 points, and the total is set at 155.5.

Council broke his right foot during Monday’s practice and is set to have surgery. His absence comes as the Jayhawks prepare to face an unbeaten Kentucky team in the early-season meeting between the programs.

A projection model that ran 10,000 simulations for the game favors the under on 155.5 points, estimating that outcome has a 62% chance. It projects four Kansas players to reach double figures, with Trey Kaufman-Renn averaging more than 16 points in its forecast. For Kentucky, it projects four players to score at least 11, led by Alex Wilkins at more than 17. The model also places one side of the spread at nearly a 70% likelihood, but its selection was not specified in the available details.