Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Kentucky and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Ole Miss 43-29.
If Kentucky keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 17-7 in no time. On the other hand, Ole Miss will have to make due with an 18-6 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Ole Miss Rebels @ Kentucky Wildcats
Current Records: Ole Miss 18-5, Kentucky 16-7
How To Watch
When: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 9 p.m. ETWhere: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center — Lexington, KentuckyTV: ESPNFollow: CBS Sports AppOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Ticket Cost: $19.00
What to Know
Kentucky is 7-1 against the Rebels since January of 2016, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. Both teams will face off in an SEC battle at 9:00 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. One thing working in Kentucky’s favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last four matches.
The point spread may have favored Kentucky last Saturday, but the final result did not. They fell to the Bulldogs 89-85. The oddsmakers set the bar high with a 171.5-point over/under, but they still managed to beat it.
Despite their loss, Kentucky saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Reed Sheppard, who scored 21 points along with five rebounds and two steals, was perhaps the best of all. Sheppard didn’t help Kentucky’s cause all that much against the Commodores on Tuesday but the same can’t be said for this game. Adou Thiero was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with five rebounds and three blocks.
Ole Miss has been a dominant force so far, but they’re in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They fell just short of the Gamecocks by a score of 68-65. The close match was extra heartbreaking for Ole Miss, who almost overcame a 17 point deficit.
Despite the defeat, Ole Miss had strong showings from Allen Flanigan, who scored 26 points along with six rebounds, and Matthew Murrell, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Wildcats dropped their record down to 16-7 with that defeat, which was their third straight at home. As for the Rebels, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-5.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Kentucky hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 89.5 points per game (they’re ranked third in scoring overall). However, it’s not like Ole Miss struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 76.4 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Looking forward, Kentucky is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 8.5 points. This contest will be their ninth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 3-5 against the spread).
Odds
Kentucky is a big 8.5-point favorite against Ole Miss, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 8.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 163.5 points.
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Series History
Kentucky has won 7 out of their last 8 games against Ole Miss.
Jan 31, 2023 – Kentucky 75 vs. Ole Miss 66Mar 01, 2022 – Kentucky 83 vs. Ole Miss 72Mar 02, 2021 – Ole Miss 70 vs. Kentucky 62Feb 15, 2020 – Kentucky 67 vs. Ole Miss 62Mar 05, 2019 – Kentucky 80 vs. Ole Miss 76Feb 28, 2018 – Kentucky 96 vs. Ole Miss 78Dec 29, 2016 – Kentucky 99 vs. Ole Miss 76Jan 02, 2016 – Kentucky 83 vs. Ole Miss 61
