Ole Miss vs. Kentucky Prediction and Odds (Go Under on Senior Night at Rupp)

The Kentucky Wildcats remain a game out of the top spot in the SEC, but look to inch closer to a No. 1 seed when they host the Ole Miss Rebels on Senior Night at Rupp Arena.

Ole Miss has had a rough go of it as of late, losing six of seven in SEC play while going 4-12 this season in conference. Meanwhile, they head to Rupp against a UK team that has yet to lose at home, winning by an average margin of victory of 22.4 points and an ATS +/- of +4.1 via TeamRankings.

Can they cover another monster number tonight?

Here are the latest odds over at WynnBET Sportsbook:

Ole Miss vs. Kentucky Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• Ole Miss +17 (-110)
• Kentucky -17 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Ole Miss +1000
• Kentucky -2000

Total:

• 140 (OVER -110 | UNDER -110)

Ole Miss vs. Kentucky Prediction and Pick

Our Iain MacMillan likes Ole Miss to hang around enough to cover, given the Rebels' decent metrics as well as their trends indicating they're not a terrible bet as a road dog this year (4-2-0 ATS).

However, I'm going to focus on the total instead, which has moved from the opening line of 142 down to 140. A two point swing isn't anything to scoff at, but I still think that's a quality number to grab before it keeps moving down.

Kentucky finally has their squad healthy with TyTy Washington and Sahvil Wheeler coming off the bench in their 75-73 road loss to Arkansas. While there's an inherit level of thinking that indicates that a healthier team will lead to more points, in Kentucky's case, it actually benefits them more on the defensive side of the ball. UK ranks top 20 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency, but in conference play, they ranked third in the SEC due to missing key players.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss still comes in just outside the top 100 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency, and have hung tight in their last several SEC matchups, including two overtime losses to Florida and South Carolina.

I see UK asserting their dominance early on, and taking their foot off the gas pedal in the second half to not only get more rest for Washington and Wheeler, but also some opportunities to get more minutes for their upperclassman and reserves. Expect a strong defensive performance from the Wildcats to set the tone, which should hold up throughout the game.

LEAN: UNDER 140 (-110)

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