ESPN predicts the winner between the Kentucky Wildcats and Troy Trojans in the NCAA Tournament

Will Mark Pope get his first NCAA Tournament win over Troy?

Mar 1, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope yells to his players during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received their NCAA Tournament draw on Sunday evening, and it was quite favorable. Pope has never won a game as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament, and he will have a chance to change that narrative against Troy on Friday evening.

The Trojans were 23-10 on the season and found a way to win the Sun Belt Tournament as a three-seed, earning their way into the Big Dance. Tayton Conerway is the leading scorer for Troy, averaging 14.3 points per game. Conerway won Sun Belt Player of the Year, so the Trojans have the conference's best player.

Troy only shoots 29.9% from three, which is one of the worst percentages in all of college basketball. The Trojans are more of a defensive team, as their defense is ranked 71st in college hoops in KenPom, while the offense is ranked 153rd.

Lamont Butler got hurt in the SEC Tournament matchup with Oklahoma and didn't play in the loss to Alabama, but it sounds like he is going to be good to go for the Wildcats matchup with Troy.

Kentucky is a much better team with Butler on the floor, so this is excellent news for the Wildcats.

ESPN doesn't seem to think Pope's Kentucky team will have much of an issue winning this game, as they give the Wildcats an 89% chance to take down Troy.

Big Blue Nation desperately wants to see Kentucky make it out of the first weekend, and they got a terrific draw to get this done.