Ole Miss vs. Missouri Prediction and Odds for SEC Tournament First Round (Back Tigers to Cover)

We've got a matchup of struggling teams in the first round of the SEC Tournament as the
No. 13 Mississippi Rebels take on the No. 12 Missouri Tigers at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Missouri got a 10-point win over Georgia their last time out to snap a seven-game losing streak and have covered the spread in two straight, while Ole Miss has lost four in a row though they've covered in three of five.

The Tigers swept the Rebels in the regular season, earning a 25-point win in January and a six-point win in February. Can Mizzou make it three straight over their conference foe or will Mississippi hang tough to extend their season?

Thanks to our friends at WynnBET, we can take a look at the odds to help us find out where the value lies:

Ole Miss vs Missouri Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• Mississippi -3.5 (-110)
• Missouri +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Mississippi: -165
• Missouri: +140

Total:

• 131.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Ole Miss vs Missouri Prediction and Pick

These teams are bad. Missouri has an anemic offense, ranking 306th in effective field goal percentage at just 46.7%. The Tigers turn the ball over on 21.3% of their possessions and are in the 7th percentile nationally in offensive rating over their last five games.

A matchup with Ole Miss may be just what the doctor ordered, though, as the Rebels are in the first percentile in defensive rating in their past five contests. They've played well on offense recently but have are a pathetic 1-8 since the start of February.

But the Tigers seem to have Ole Miss' number. In the first game they played, Missouri led by as many as 27 and dominated from start to finish. And in the second matchup, the Tigers jumped out to a 20-point lead before holding on to win by six. They shot the lights out of the ball from beyond the arc and that likely isn't repeatable, but the Rebels are so bad defensively that it won't matter.

You want a trend? I've got a trend for ya. In their last six games as a favorite, Ole Miss is a disastrous 1-5 outright. They cannot be trusted when favored under any circumstances. The Tigers are no good, but they're good enough to cover against a Mississippi squad that apparently shouldn't be favored against anyone. Give me the Tigers.

Pick: Missouri +3.5 (-110)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.