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NCAAB Handicapping: Kentucky vs. Mississippi (Jan. 27)

The Kentucky Wildcats and the Mississippi Rebels will both be gunning for a victory on Tuesday when they meet at Tad Smith Coliseum. Oddsmakers currently have the Wildcats listed as 9½-point favorites…

Old Fashion SEC Dust Up – Kentucky @ Ole Miss

Kentucky Wildcats (16-4 SU, 10-4-1 ATS) at Mississippi Rebels (10-9 SU, 8-7 ATS)

BetUS NCAA Basketball Betting Odds: KENTUCKY -8.5

Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* KY has won its last five games SU
* KY has covered six of its last seven games * KY has played five of its last six games UNDER the total
* KY has won three of its last four road games SU
* KY has covered its last four road games
* KY has played six of its last nine road games UNDER the total
* MISS has lost four of its last five games SU
* MISS has covered four of its last five games
* MISS has played five of its last seven games UNDER the total
* MISS has won four of its last five home games SU

Also…

* KY has won the last nine meetings SU
* KY has covered six of the last nine meetings
* Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total
* KY has won five of the last six meetings SU as the road team * KY has covered four of the last six meetings as the road team
* KY has had the shooting edge in seven of the last eight meetings
* KY has had the rebounding edge in seven of the last eight meetings

These teams at the moment are going in different directions. Kentucky has won its last five games, including wins at Tennessee and Alabama, and continues to ride the scoring exploits of junior guard Jodie Meeks, who followed his 54-point effort against Tennessee with 22, 31 and 27 points in his last three games. Over the last four contests, Meeks has shot 58% from the floor. Patrick Patterson has sometimes found himself lost in the scoring shuffle, but to his credit he has kept up his board work, and is bringing down more caroms this year (9.4 per game) than he was last year (7.7), and has also blocked three or more shots in seven games.

It is the suffocating defense Kentucky plays that has been the catalyst for its improved play this season, however. The Wildcats have allowed just 36.4% and shot 50.2%, making for quite a difference. The question is whether Ole Miss, which is just a 43% shooting team, can make up that gap, even at Oxford, where the Rebels have won four of their last five games.

Mississippi still has just one double-digit scorer on its roster: David Huertas, who averages 19.5 ppg and tallied 53 points last week in games against Alabama and South Carolina, but sometimes forces shots simply because his team is so dependent upon his offensive output. Freshman Terrico White, who had been supplying some spark off the bench before being re-inserted into the starting lineup and becoming the second offensive option, suffered a bone bruise in his knee against South Carolina and is going to be a game-time decision. Will Bogan, another freshman who shoots 32%, would take his place.

Ole Miss has been very feisty in some of its games, but coach Andy Kennedy’s legal problems have been a distraction, and they don’t have offensive strength in the paint to make up for it when the outside shooters aren’t hitting. The bench is thin because everyone is getting injured. As a result, the Rebels run the risk of losing touch with their opponent every time they step out there. We’re not sure this is the spot against Kentucky, which has a nice inside-outside thing going and have a huge edge in the backcourt matchups.

We lay the points with the Wildcats, the 8.5-point favorite in the Sportsbook NCAA college basketball betting odds.

Our PLAY: KENTUCKY -8.5 **

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"