Bubble teams get a chance to battle each other and bolster their rankings in this one. The Kentucky Wildcats (16-9, 10-14-1 ATS, 7-5 SEC) are in Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-8, 13-11-1 ATS, 5-7 SEC) for the only time in the regular season. Kentucky has owned this matchup, winning 16 of the last 17 games, including last season's tilt in overtime. This year they are playing in the Bulldogs' Humphrey Coliseum, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST.
Kentucky has lost two straight, both as favorites to fall to 7-5 in the SEC. The losses also have them projected as one of the “First Four Out” in the NCAA tournament now. KenPom has the Wildcats ranked 44th in the nation this season.
In their last game, they lost 75-68 to Georgia. The biggest difference in the game was free throws, as Georgia had 29 attempts while Kentucky only had 13. Oscar Tshiebwe finished with a double-double, leading the team with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
The Wildcats have one of the most offenses in the nation. They put up 74.8 points per game despite playing at the 269th adjusted tempo in the nation. They shoot 45.6% as a team and hit 36.6% of their threes, both top-3 marks in the SEC.
Defensively they allow 68.0 points per game this season. Opponents are shooting 43.3% against the Wildcats and hitting 33.3% of their three-pointers. Those are 10t h and 11th in the conference, respectively.
No House Advantage: Bet on player over/unders VS THE HOUSE to 21x your bet OR play in PICK 'EM contests against other people! Click here to get a 1st deposit match up to $100 1st w/ promocode WandW!