Kentucky Wildcats vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Kentucky vs Mississippi State NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Starkville.

Kentucky vs Mississippi State Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Wildcats and Bulldogs. The game is starting at 8:30 ET on SECN, and it's hosted by the Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under for this Southeastern conference contest is set at 162.5 points, with Mississippi State being favored by -5.5 at home against Kentucky.

Kentucky vs. Mississippi State Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Where: Starkville at Humphrey Coliseum
Date: Saturday, January 11th
Betting Odds MSPST -5.5, UK +163 | MSPST -200 O/U 162.5

Wildcats Preview: No Pressure for Kentucky as Away Dogs

Kentucky fell to 12-3 on the season after an 82-69 road loss to Georgia on Tuesday. The Wildcats entered the game as -1.5 favorites but failed to cover the spread.

Georgia took a commanding 47-34 lead into halftime, and the teams played evenly in the 2nd half, each scoring 35 points. The combined points of 151 fell just under the O/U line of 153.5.

Wildcats Offense Breakdown

Kentucky's offense struggled in their last game, shooting just 37.5% from the field and 24% from three-point range, finishing with 69 points. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.2%, but they did hit 78.9% of their free throws, going 15-for-19 from the line.

Lamont Butler led the way with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Asa Newell added 17 points and 7 rebounds, hitting 2-of-5 from deep. The Wildcats managed just 8 assists as a team, with 12 offensive rebounds helping to keep them in the game.

Wildcats Team Defense

Even with Kentucky holding the opposing team to just 41% shooting, their defense couldn’t stop them from putting up 82 points. The Wildcats allowed 16 two-point field goals on 31 attempts, a 51% shooting rate.

Kentucky also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 38 times, where they converted 29 free throws, shooting 76%. The Wildcats gave up 13 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bulldogs Preview: Can The Bulldogs Secure a Home Victory?

Mississippi State improved to 14-1 on the season with a 76-64 road win over Vanderbilt on Tuesday. The Bulldogs, who entered the game as -2.5 favorites, covered the spread with the victory.

After leading 39-28 at halftime, Mississippi State scored 37 points in the 2nd half while allowing 36. The game’s total points of 140 fell short of the 153.5 O/U line.

Bulldogs Offense Breakdown

Mississippi State put up 76 points in their last game, shooting 47.4% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 52.6%. They connected on 37.5% of their threes, hitting 6 of 16 attempts, and were strong at the free-throw line, making 16 of 19 for 84.2%.

RJ Melendez led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 57.1% from the field. AJ Hoggard added 18 points and 3 assists, while Cameron Matthews contributed 16 points and 5 boards. Grant Huffman was perfect from deep, hitting 2 of 2 threes and finishing with 12 points on 80% shooting overall.

Bulldogs Team Defense

Mississippi State's defense held their opponent to 64 points on 35% shooting from the field. They allowed 17 two-point field goals on 36 attempts, a 47% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, Mississippi State limited their opponent to 5 three-pointers on 26 attempts, just 19% shooting. They also sent them to the free-throw line 20 times, where they made 15 free throws, shooting 75%.

Wildcats vs Bulldogs Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last three games away from home, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 70 points per game in these contests.
The Bulldogs are 2-1 ATS in their last three home games and 3-0 straight-up.
Kentucky has done well both straight up and vs the spread as the underdog, going 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.
Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Bulldogs have gone 6-4 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 9-1.