Marshall vs Kentucky Odds, Pick for Friday

On Monday night, Kentucky probably got a lot more than it bargained for as it was pushed to overtime by Saint Joseph's. The Wildcats were able to survive the upset scare and improve to 4-1 on the young season. Next up, Kentucky will host Marshall for some Black Friday hoops.

Marshall is returning to the U.S. after playing three games at the Cayman Islands Classic. It went 1-2 and is now 2-3 on the season.

Kentucky is heavily favored, but after looking at the Marshall vs. Kentucky odds, I'm eyeing the over/under.

The Thundering Herd have been led by forward Nate Martin and guard Kevon Voyles. Martin, a transfer from Texas State, hasn't taken long to acclimate himself to his new team. The redshirt junior has a double-double in three of the team's first five games and is averaging 13 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

Voyles has scored 17 points in four of the team's first five games, though a rough shooting performance against Radford has his average at 15.8 per game.

Efficiency has been an issue for Marshall. It is 293rd in effective field goal percentage (.45.1%) and 321st in 3-point field goal percentage. However, the team is 15th in Division 1 in adjusted tempo and has the 11th-shortest average possession length on offense.

Despite its early shooting struggles, Marshall's brisk pace has helped it average 72 points per game. It will likely need 80+ to have a chance at an upset here.

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It is not a surprise that John Calipari has one of the youngest teams in the country. However, it's already clear that this young team will score in bunches.

Kentucky has scored 80 or more points in all five games this season. It is 20th nationally in scoring offense (89.6 points per game) and 10th in adjusted offensive efficiency. A hot start from beyond the arc has led the way as Kentucky is fifth nationally with 11.6 3's per game and 30th in 3-point percentage (39.5%).

Senior guard Antonio Reeves leads the team with an average of 18.5 points per game. Freshman guard Robert Dillingham is averaging 16 points and a team-leading 4.6 assists per game. Reeves and Dillingham are both shooting over 40% from beyond the arc.

Dillingham is leading the team, but Kentucky is also moving the ball very well and averaging nearly 19 assists per game. However, it is also second nationally in turnovers, averaging just eight per game. That's remarkable with such a young team and, if it continues, it will serve Kentucky well in the rest of its non-conference schedule and into SEC play.

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Few teams are playing as well offensively as Kentucky. The Wildcats have several players capable of scoring 20 points in this game and have had two or more 20-point scorers in each of their past two games.

It also helps that this will likely be an up-and-down game. Both teams rank in the top 20 in shortest average possession length on offense. That means we will likely see a lot of quick shots and short possessions. Kentucky is likely to capitalize on its possessions more often, but 65 or 70 points from Marshall should be enough to cash this over.

Each of Kentucky's past three games have soared past 155 points. I expect that trend to continue.

Pick: Over 155.5