The No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats aren’t the same Wildcats who ranked first in the nation throughout the 2014-15 regular season. Today’s Wildcats are a work in progress, a very talented work in progress. Kentucky welcomes the visiting Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday night, looking for a ninth straight win over their SEC rivals.
The Bulldogs are a scrappy bunch, though, and will fight tooth and nail led by one of the conference’s best, Gavin Ware. Can the young Wildcats defend their house against Mississippi State?
Catch more college ball action with our complete previews for Miami (FL) vs. Virginia and Maryland vs. Michigan.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Kentucky Wildcats Preview
Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington
When: Tuesday, January 12, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-7)
The Mississippi State Bulldogs enter this game on the heels of back-to-back losses. They played horribly in their latest outing, an 82-68 loss at Arkansas on Saturday, shooting just 37.5 percent from the field for their second-worst mark of the season. Mississippi State has also lost their last eight games against Kentucky. Despite their struggles, you can’t count out the Bulldogs; their last win over the Wildcats was at Rupp Arena in 2009.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]To get a gigantic win on the road, the Bulldogs will need to put on gritty defense to slow down Kentucky. The Wildcats are pretty solid with 77.6 points per game. That figure gets a little lower in the past six games with an average of 73.5 points. Mississippi State has shown some tight defense allowing just 72.7 points per game this season and an average of 63.7 points in their last three outings.
For a big upset on the road, the Bulldogs will need forward Gavin Ware to continue his excellent play. Ware leads the team with 17.2 points, scoring in double figures in each contest this season. He also has an SEC-best 65.3 percent field goal percentage.
Ware could get some support from Malik Newman and Craig Sword. Newman is averaging 14.6 points in the last five games, while Sword is coming off a solid 21-point and eight-rebound performance on the road Saturday night.
The Bulldogs are 4-2 ATS in their last six trips to Kentucky.
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats (12-3)
The Kentucky Wildcats are good. But they still need plenty of work to do if their last outing against Alabama is of any indication of their game. The Wildcats led by as much as 16 points at halftime, but saw the lead dwindle to just four early in the second half. Kentucky did get a good look at senior forward Alex Poythress’ game, while ultimately winning the game 77-61.
Poythress scored a career-high 25 points against Alabama on 8 of 10 shooting. Freshman Jamal Murray offered plenty of help, scoring 21 points of his own. The Kentucky duo could be due for another big game against Mississippi State. The Wildcats have won by an average of 20.3 points in their last four games against the Bulldogs.
To dominate, the Wildcats will need sophomore guard Tyler Ulis utilizing his excellent playmaking. Ulis has averaged seven assists per game in his last five games. Finding his teammates for open baskets could help spread out the defense enough to help Ulis get his own shots off. Ulis has been solid with 18 points per game in his last four outings.
The Wildcats are 3-4 ATS in their last seven true home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Mississippi State exploits Kentucky’s lapses in a close loss.
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