Arkansas vs. Mississippi State Prediction and Odds: Bet on Bulldogs' Dominant Defense
By Matt De Saro
The Arkansas Razorbacks and Mississippi State Bulldogs are set to duke it out Wednesday night in their first SEC action of the season. The Razorbacks enter Wednesday night with a 10-2 record and are coming off an 81-55 win over Elon.
While the Razorbacks have struggled a bit over the last two weeks, the Bulldogs are 9-3 overall; riding a four-game win streak. They suffered back-to-back losses already this year and bounced back by winning big over Georgia State 79-50. They have a chance to win their first game this year against a Power 5 team after losing to Minnesota and Louisville already this season.
Will that first big win come tonight at home as a slight favorite?
Here are the odds for this matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook:
Arkansas vs. Mississippi State Odds, Spread and Total
Spread:
- Arkansas +2.5 (-110)
- Mississippi State -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline:
- Arkansas +130
- Mississippi State -160
Total: 141.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
Arkansas vs. Mississippi State and Pick
The Razorbacks will have their hands full tonight with a very tough Bulldogs defense on the other end of the court. Arkansas does have a talented offense but Mississippi State is holding teams to just 58.1 PPG on their home court this season. This will also be the Razorbacks’ first real away game this season. They have played twice away from home but both games took place on neutral sites. It's worth noting that they lost both of those games too and have yet to win away from home.
As a team, the Razorbacks are scoring 81.5 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from the field. The offense is led by JD Notae who is putting up 18 points per game and nabbing 4.9 boards. Notae is one of three Razorbacks who are averaging double-digit scoring along with Chris Lykes and Au’Diese Toney. The trio has played well enough that the Razorbacks rank 24th in the country in scoring with an average of 81.5 points per game. Their 3-point shooting however is quite poor and ranks 293rd overall at 30.5 percent.
Mississippi State is more of a defensive-minded team than the Razorbacks are and rank 50th in the nation in terms of points allowed per game at 61.4. While they do struggle to defend from behind the arc, the Razorbacks are not much of a threat from deep.
The Bulldogs are not reliant on their defense and will be able to keep up with the Razorbacks’ offense if need be. MSU is averaging 75.4 PPG and I am betting they do enough on both ends of the court to win their first SEC game of the year.
Pick: Mississippi State -2.5 (-110)