Mississippi vs Kentucky | Preview, Predictions, Odds

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2010 – FREE COLLEGE BASKETBALL PICK

#25 Mississippi Rebels (16-5) v #3 Kentucky Wildcats (20-1)

The No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats will look to regain their top ranking with a win over the visiting No. 25 Mississippi Rebels on Tuesday at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

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The last time these two met was on Mar 12, 2009, with Kentucky cruising to a comfortable 71-58 victory in the opening round of the SEC conference tournament. The Wildcats also hold a 48-2 advantage at Lexington, taking the last five matchups there since falling 73-64 to then-No. 18 Ole Miss on Feb. 14, 1998.

Ole Miss struggled defensively, allowing the Razorbacks to shoot 48.1 percent from the field as Arkansas stunned Mississippi with an 80-73 loss at home on Sunday. The defeat dropped the Rebs seven spots in the national rankings. Forward Murphy Holloway had a team-high 19 points and 17 rebounds while Rebs leading scorer Chris Warren put up 17 points in the loss.  Ole Miss started the season with multiple double-digit wins in pre-conference and climbed as high as No. 14 in the national rankings, but has lost both of their contests against top 10 teams. The Rebs will most likely be without emerging freshman forward/center Reginald Buckner for tonight’s game, who is out with an ankle injury. That will leave just Holloway and the Rebs’ guards to handle defending the ‘Cats in the paint.

The Wildcats rebounded from a stunning loss of their own against South Carolina with an 85-72 victory over No. 21 Vanderbilt on Saturday. Freshman standout DeMarcus Cousins dominated inside registering his fourth consecutive double double and 12th of the season by posting 21 points and 10 rebounds. He also went 6-of-10 from the field and made nine free throws in the win. Kentucky totaled 18 offensive rebounds in the game and held Vanderbilt to 22 rebounds overall. The Wildcats not only controlled the paint but also were solid from 3-point range netting 12-of-23 shots from beyond the arc. Darnell Dodson made four 3-pointers en route to 16 points, while Eric Bledsoe and leading scorer John Wall each had 13 points in the win. The win put the Wildcats into a tie with Vandy at the top of the SEC Eastern Division. They will meet again in Nashville on Feb. 20.

The odd makers have the Wildcats as –10 ½-favorites and a game total of 151 in this one.

Ole Miss relies heavily on their ability to knock down shots from the 3-point range more than any team in the SEC. They went just 6-for-22 against Arkansas. What happens if they fall short again against Kentucky?  The matchup will pit Kentucky freshman’s Wall and Bledsoe against Ole Miss’ veterans Warren, White, and Polynice. Will experience topple youth?

I expect a close first half with Kentucky going on a run early in the second and notching an 11-point victory and UNDER.

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