Alright, everyone, I’ll come right out and say it off the bat. Kentucky should win this game, but in my opinion, Mississippi State will be a tougher opponent than a lot of people are giving them credit for. Let’s break down this matchup of a pair of 19-8 SEC squads.

Now despite their impressive record, the Bulldogs are still just 7th in the SEC even with wins over teams like Missouri, Auburn, and Tennessee. They took an L to Kentucky earlier in the season, but they’ve improved a good bit since then. While their offense is pretty middle of the pack, they excel on defense with a top 50 defensive rating. Even though their offense struggles at times, they still average almost 75 points a game. Smith and Hubbard have been a great duo, averaging 16.8 and 15.3 respectively, but will that be enough to take down the Wildcats?

If you ask me, I don’t think so but I could be wrong. Kentucky is ranked number seventeen for a reason. They just waxed a highly ranked Alabama team, and score the third most points per game in the entire league with 88.7 on average. They are tied 11th for offensive rating, and while they sometimes struggle on defense their high volume scoring is usually enough to get the job done. Antonio Reeves is averaging a hair under 20 points a game, and four other Wildcats are above the ten points per game level. It might be a tough road matchup, but give me the Kentucky Wildcats to come out on top in this SEC showdown.