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Wildcats Wire
Kentucky defeats gritty James Madison squad: Results, recap
- Story byWildcats Wire
- Kentucky defeats gritty James Madison squad: Results, recap
With a big game against Kansas coming next week, Mark Pope's Kentucky basketball team was looking to iron out some wrinkles tonight against James Madison. The Wildcats handled Manhattan in game one of their season, but did not have the same success against James Madison. They needed a big second half to pull ahead and get a 89-80 victory.
The first half was sloppy for Kentucky. James Madison was on fire from behind the arc, and the score was tied at halftime. However, the Cats took control in the second half.
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Naismith Award nominee Milan Momcilovic started his Wildcats stint off with a huge game, but couldn't find his shot in this one. He had just 7 points, and was 1-for-8 from three-point range. Justin McBride picked up the slack, though, scoring 13 points against his former team. Alex Wilkins missed most of the first half due to foul trouble, but still had 16 points. Zoom Diallo also had 16, tying for the team lead.
Defensively, Kentucky had trouble. James Madison shoots a lot of threes, and attempted 45 of them, making 15. Too many of them were open due to late rotations. It's something Pope will need to work on.
Ultimately, the Wildcats did a lot of good things. They made 51% of their field goals, and avoided turnovers. Unfortunately, they took a lot of bad shots early one, and gave up too many easy ones. With Kansas on the horizon, they'll have to figure some things out quickly to avoid last year's results against quality teams.
Kentucky vs James Madison score
| Quarter |
H1 |
H2 |
Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison |
39 |
41 |
80 |
| Kentucky |
39 |
50 |
89 |
Kentucky vs James Madison live updates, analysis
Hit refresh for the latest updates from Kentucky basketball's game against James Madison at Rupp Arena.
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Final score: Kentucky 89 - James Madison 80
08:59 PM ET, November 6 2026
It wasn't easy, but Kentucky pulls away in the second half for the win. They will face Kansas next.
Braydon Hawthorne dagger
08:55 PM ET, November 6 2026
Kentucky grabs the rebound, and gets out in a hurry. Hawthorne got ahead of everyone and dunks it to make it a 13-point game. There is less than two minutes to play.
Brandon Lee having a huge game for James Madison
08:53 PM ET, November 6 2026
One matchup that Kentucky has not been able to figure out is Brandon Lee. The Dukes guard has 26 points.
Highlight: Justin McBride lighting it up
08:44 PM ET, November 6 2026
Justin McBride again
08:39 PM ET, November 6 2026
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McBride finds himself open for another three, and buries it against his former team. The Wildcats lead is 11.
Mason Williams huge three
08:38 PM ET, November 6 2026
James Madison cut the lead to five with a three. Williams immediately answered back with a pull-up three.
Mason Williams on the drive
08:33 PM ET, November 6 2026
Williams continues to be very good early this season. He drives past his man for the layup here to put Kentucky up by ten.
Highlight: Justin McBride from deep
08:29 PM ET, November 6 2026
Ousmane N'Diaye a three
08:25 PM ET, November 6 2026
Now, it's three straight three-pointers for Kentucky. This one is by N'Diaye.
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Justin McBride makes it back-to-back threes
08:23 PM ET, November 6 2026
The Wildcats defense forces a turnover, and then converts it with a another three by McBride against his former team. The lead stretches to six points.
Alex Wilkins gives Kentucky the lead back
08:21 PM ET, November 6 2026
Mason Williams finds Wilkins in the corner off the inbounds pass. Wilkins buries the three, and the Wildcats lead 59-56.
Milan Momcilovic can't find the range
08:16 PM ET, November 6 2026
After making six three-pointers in the opener, Momcilovic is just 1-for-6 from behind the arc tonight. He has just 5 points.
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Alex Wilkins speeds by the defense
08:08 PM ET, November 6 2026
Wilkins finds himself one-on-one with his man, and blows by him for an easy layup. Kentucky is up four.
Zoom Diallo opens up the second half
08:04 PM ET, November 6 2026
Diallo gets into the lane on Kentucky's first possession of the second half. His fallaway jumper goes.
Halftime: Kentucky 39 - James Madison 39
07:46 PM ET, November 6 2026
The Wildcats defense wasn't very good around the perimeter in the first half. The Dukes got way too many wide open looks from behind the arc, and the game is tied.
Kentucky shot selection questionable
07:43 PM ET, November 6 2026
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The Wildcats are shooting the ball particularly well, and shot selection is a big part of the reason. Kentucky shooters are taking contested jumpers that aren't falling.
James Madison launching threes
07:37 PM ET, November 6 2026
The Dukes have attempted 22 three-pointers already. Many of them were clean looks, and they've made 8 of them. It's a one-point game.
Malachi Moreno huge dunk
07:34 PM ET, November 6 2026
Moreno turns off a screen and drives to the hoop where he delivers a massive dunk to extend Kentucky's lead.
Justin McBride from outside
07:27 PM ET, November 6 2026
Against his former team, McBride gets on the board with his first three-pointer. He has some extra motivation.
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Kam Williams checks in
07:25 PM ET, November 6 2026
Williams has worked hard to return from a foot injury. He is in the game, and got a loud cheer from the crowd.
Highlight: Zoom Diallo getting involved
07:24 PM ET, November 6 2026
Kentucky has to close on shooters
07:19 PM ET, November 6 2026
James Madison is going to shoot a lot of three-pointers. The Wildcats defenders have to do a better job of closing out on them. They've made four already, and have tied the game at 18 apiece.
James Madison on a run
07:18 PM ET, November 6 2026
Kentucky built a 16-8 lead, but the Dukes have scored seven straight points to cut the lead to a single point.
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Mason Williams to Zoom Diallo on the break
07:15 PM ET, November 6 2026
Williams gets Kentucky out in front again of a rebound. He finds Diallo breaking to the rim and the shot is good, and he's fouled. He made the free throw.
Highlight: Alex Wilkins from deep
07:10 PM ET, November 6 2026
Malachi Moreno block
07:08 PM ET, November 6 2026
Moreno gets his first block of the game, and it was an easy one. He gets Kentucky the possession.
Milan Momcilovic hits a three
07:06 PM ET, November 6 2026
Kentucky gets out on the fast break and nobody stays with Momcilovic. He pulls up and drains it, his first of the night.
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Malachi Moreno scores first
07:03 PM ET, November 6 2026
Moreno uses his size to get position inside. He misses the first attempt, but puts it back in to make it 2-0 Wildcats.
Kam Williams...playing?
06:46 PM ET, November 6 2026
Kam Williams available
05:04 PM ET, November 6 2026
Per a report from Kentucky Sports Radio's Jack Pilgrim, Williams was a full go at today's shootaround, and should be available to play tonight. If he does, it will likely be in limited minutes, but that's big news for the Wildcats.
Kentucky vs James Madison players to watch
12:00 PM ET, November 6 2026
Kentucky
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Milan Momcilovic - Kentucky's biggest offseason acquisition was terrific in game one. He made six three-pointers and scored 24 points.
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Alex Wilkins - With 11 points, Wilkins contributed on offense, but on the defensive end, he was spectacular, accumulating 7 steals.
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Zoom Diallo - Early on, he struggled, turning over a few times. He was terrific the rest of the way, though, and scored 12 points.
James Madison
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Paul Jones III - His 14 points led the Dukes in their first game. He is an effective perimeter shooter who will take any open looks.
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Adrian Myers - A 6'6" forward, Myers is also a good shooter from deep, and a good rebounder as well. He also blocked 2 shots in their opener.
Kentucky vs James Madison picks, odds
10:00 AM ET, November 6 2026
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
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Spread: Kentucky by 25
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O/U: 157.5
How to watch Kentucky vs James Madison: TV channel, streaming info
08:00 AM ET, November 6 2026
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Kentucky vs James Madison airs live on SEC Network and will be streamed on Fubo with a free trial available
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Date: Nov. 6
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Time: 7:00 P.M. EST
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky defeats gritty James Madison squad: Results, recap
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