Ole Miss vs. Kentucky: NCAA Betting odds, preview, and pick

The seventh-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will look to bounce back with a win against Ole Miss in their final home game of the regular season, set for tipoff at 7 p.m. ET in Rupp Arena.

Wildcats fall to another AP Top 25 team

A little more than a week after then-No. 16 Tennessee snapped Kentucky's six-win streak, the Wildcats stumbled to another ranked opponent, No. 14 Arkansas, in a 75-73 thriller in Bud Walton Arena.

The defeat marked the second in four games for UK, and the fifth of the season against an AP Top 25 team. Kentucky has won against ranked teams just three times this season and only once on the road — which came in an 80-62 victory against then-No. 5 Kansas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in late January.

The Wildcats' sixth loss of the 2021-22 campaign dropped them into a second-place tie in the SEC with Arkansas and Tennessee, and one game behind Auburn.

The Razorbacks are red-hot at the moment, with just one loss in their last 14 games, and stifled UK's offense, which shot just 46% from the field, including 26.7% from deep, and hit less than 70% of their free throws.

Arkansas guard JD Notae racked up 30 points and eight assists on the 'Cats, who got a 30-point, 18-rebound performance out of leading scorer Oscar Tshiebwe.

After Tshiebwe recorded the first bucket of the game, Arkansas scored the next 15 points, as UK fell into a double-digit hole in the first half for the fourth straight game.

The Cats should get some relief at home, where they are 17-0 this season, as they face an Ole Miss squad reeling since freshman point guard Daeshun Ruffin went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Ruffin was sidelined in the final 12 minutes of a win against then-No. 25 LSU on Feb. 1. Since then, the Rebels have lost six of their last seven games, including Saturday's 76-66 setback against Texas A&M.

Ole Miss and Kentucky betting trends

• Ole Miss is 4-1 against the spread in its last five road games
• Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games as a favorite
• The Over is 6-0 in Ole Miss' last six games overall
• The Over is 5-1 in Ole Miss' last six road games
• The Over is 6-2 in Kentucky's last eight games as a home favorite

Kentucky will close out the year undefeated at Rupp

Ole Miss may own just one win since Feb. 5, but the Rebels have fought hard down the stretch, despite playing shorthanded.

They rank fourth in the SEC in effective field goal and 3-point percentages, and could keep it close with Kentucky if the Wildcats have another off night behind the arc.

That said, the Wildcats are trying to stay alive in the SEC title race and won't let an inferior conference opponent hand them their only loss of the season at Rupp.

Both TyTy Washington Jr. and Sahvir Wheeler came off the bench against Arkansas in their return from injuries and shot a combined 8-of-25 from the field, but they should come out sharper in their home finale.

UK has covered once this season when favored by more than 10 points against an SEC team at home, and are 9-8 against the spread overall at Rupp. They may not walk away with a massive statement victory against Ole Miss, but they will be too much to handle for a team that's 4-12 in conference play.

Look for the 'Cats to take care of business as they gear up for the SEC Tournament next week.

Score prediction: Kentucky 78, Ole Miss 66

NCAAB pick: Over 140

Ole Miss vs. Kentucky Pick powered by The Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is calling for Kentucky to win outright and the score to go Over the projected total.