Check out our free Kentucky vs Mississippi State pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Starkville. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Kentucky vs Mississippi State Pick & Preview: Wednesday, February 15th Betting Odds

Wildcats vs Bulldogs Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi State Bulldogs
  • Where: Starkville at Humphrey Coliseum
  • Date: Wednesday, February 15th
  • Betting Odds: Kentucky +2.5, UK +123 | MSPST -150 O/U 128.0

Wildcats Preview:

Through 25 games, the Kentucky Wildcats have an overall record of 16-9. On the road, the Wildcats will be playing their 6th game of the season, having gone 3-3. So far, the Wildcats have been the underdog 4 times, going 1-3 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +2.5 underdogs on the spread.

Oscar Tshiebwe comes into today’s game as the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 15.7 points per contest. Not only has Tshiebwe been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Kentucky’s top rebounder at 13.35 boards per contest. Behind Tshiebwe, the team has benefited from the strong play of Antonio Reeves, who is second on the team in scoring at 13.16 points per game. Overall, he has hit 42.0% of his shots and is adding 2.2 boards per game.

Kentucky comes into today’s matchup vs Mississippi State, looking to continue their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 79.5 points per game. Through 25 games, they have hit 48.4% of their field goal attempts. In terms of pace, the Wildcats have preferred to slow the game down, ranking 456th in possessions per game.

Bulldogs Preview:

Mississippi State heads into this matchup having played 25 games and have an overall record sitting at 17-8. Currently, the Bulldogs have been the home team 18 times, sitting with a record of 14-4. The Bulldogs’ are sitting with a betting line that is -2.5 points in their favor. For the season, Mississippi State has been favored to win in 18 games, sitting with a mark of 15-3.

Tolu Smith comes into today’s game as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer at 14.56 points per contest. Not only has Smith been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Mississippi State’s top rebounder at 8.32 boards per contest. Behind Smith, the team has benefited from the strong play of D.J Jeffries, who is second on the team in scoring at 9.0 points per game. Overall, he has hit 33.6% of his shots and is adding 6.0 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Mississippi State this season, as they are currently ranked 209th in college basketball at 70.9 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Bulldogs’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 29.5%, placing them 479th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: Kentucky Wildcats +2.5

For this matchup, our model is suggesting that the best bet is to take the Kentucky Wildcats to cover the spread as the road underdogs. Even though the Wildcats aren’t an oustanding 3-point shooting team, they will benefit from facing a Mississippi State offense that also had its problems with outside shooting. In addition, Kentucky has made up for their low 3-point numbers by posting a field goal percentage of 48.4%, which places them above the NCAA average. We this as a great spot to get a wager down on the Kentucky Wildcats to cover the spread on the road.