The Missouri Tigers (8-6) travel to face off against the Kentucky Wildcats (11-2) on Tuesday, January 9th. This game will be played at Rupp Arena in Lexington and televised on ESPN. Kentucky is coming off a win in their previous game, while Missouri is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Georgia. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.
Missouri Tigers vs Kentucky Wildcats
The Missouri Tigers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
After a loss to Georgia, Missouri now sits at 8-6 on the season, including a 0-1 record in Southeastern Conference play. So far, the Tigers have gone 2-1 on the road and 6-5 at home. On average, they are scoring the same amount of points as their opponents when playing away from home.
As an underdog, Missouri has gone 1-2 this season, and they enter this game as 13-point underdogs. So far, they have been the underdog in three of their 14 games.
As the underdog, Missouri has gone 2-1 vs. the spread this season and has an ATS mark of 5-9 overall. On the road, the Tigers are a perfect 3-0 vs. the spread this year and have gone 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Missouri’s over/under record for the season is 5-9 and the average scoring total in their games is 147.5 points. Today’s over/under line of 161.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games this year (149.7). So far, 11 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s OU line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 154 points and their OU record during that stretch is 1-2.
The Kentucky Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win
After an 87-85 win over Florida, Kentucky has now won five games in a row and has an overall record of 11-2. So far, the Wildcats are 1-0 in Southeastern Conference play and have gone 10-2 in non-conference games.
Kentucky has been dominant at home this season, going 8-2 with an average scoring margin of +17.8 points per game. Over their last 10 games at home, the Wildcats have gone 8-2.
As the favorite this season, Kentucky has gone 6-4 vs. the spread. In their last 10 games as the favorite, the Wildcats have a mark of 6-4. At home, their ATS record is 6-4 this year.
So far this year, the over/under record for Kentucky stands at 10-3. The average over/under line in their games is 153.6 and their matchups have averaged 165.1 points. Today’s over/under line of 161.5 is higher than the average scoring total in their games this year. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 3-0 and their matchups have averaged 169 points.
Missouri Offense Breakdown
Against Georgia, the Missouri had a tough time putting up points compared to their season average of 75.9 points per game. They scored 68 points and posted a field goal percentage of 44.4% in the game. Leading Missouri in scoring vs. Georgia was Sean East with his 18 points. Tamar Bates also added 15 points for the Tigers.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean East (G) | 17.1 | 3.1 | 3.9 |
| Noah Carter (F) | 11.5 | 6.2 | 1.6 |
| Nick Honor (G) | 10.9 | 1.5 | 2.1 |
Kentucky Offense Breakdown
In their latest game, Kentucky’s offense looked good, scoring 87 points against Florida. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 45.6% and made 20/28 free throws. The team’s top scorer is Antonio Reeves, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 19, while Rob Dillingham also maintains a PPG average of 13.7 leading up to the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Reeves (G) | 19.0 | 4.2 | 1.5 |
| Rob Dillingham (G) | 13.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
| Tre Mitchell (F) | 12.7 | 7.3 | 3.2 |
Missouri Team Defense
At this time, the Tigers’ defense is positioned 164th in the country, permitting 71.6 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Missouri’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 42.8% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 32.3% this season.
Kentucky Team Defense
The Wildcats’ defense is presently ranked 223rd nationally, allowing an average of 74.3 points per contest. Against Florida in their most recent game, the Kentucky defense gave up a total of 85 points while allowing Florida to hit 42% of their shots.
Tigers vs Wildcats Trends
- Missouri has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 68 points per game while allowing 68. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-0.
- Across their ten previous home games, Kentucky has an ATS mark of 8-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 8-2 while averaging 78 points per game.
- The last ten games that Missouri was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 4-6 straight up.
- Kentucky has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 3-0 SU and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.
Tigers vs Wildcats Prediction
In this Wildcats vs. Wildcats matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Wildcats at -13. While we project the Wildcats to win 76-69, our recommendation is to bet on the Tigers for the point-spread.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 161.5, and our model predicts the Tigers and Wildcats to score a combined 145 points. We recommend betting on the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 9, 2024 Kentucky Wildcats, Missouri Tigers, Teams