Missouri Tigers vs Kentucky Wildcats Prediction, 1/9/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Missouri Tigers vs Kentucky Wildcats

Date: Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

TV: ESPN

Rupp Arena is where the Kentucky Wildcats (11-2) will attempt to beat the Missouri Tigers (8-6) on Tuesday.

The Missouri Tigers stepped onto the hardwood against Georgia and took a loss by a final of 75-68 in their last game. Missouri finished having earned a 44.4% FG percentage (28 out of 63) and converted 6 of their 19 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Tigers knocked down 6 of 7 tries for a rate of 85.7%. When discussing hauling in rebounds, they compiled 27 with 7 of them being offensive. They also dished out 14 assists in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Regarding defense, Missouri let their opponent shoot 48.0% from the field on 24 of 50 shooting. Georgia earned 12 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Georgia grabbed 30 boards (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Georgia finished the game at 71.4% when shooting free throws by burying 15 of 21 tries. They converted 12 out of their 28 shots from distance. In regard to fouls, the Tigers ended up with 18 and Georgia accumulated 10 fouls.

Sean East is one player who was a contributor for this contest. He scored 18 points on 9 out of 20 shooting. He played 40 minutes played and also totaled 6 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 45.0% from the field and also distributed 8 assists.

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Missouri will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 8-6 for the year. They are averaging 75.9 pts per game (161st in the nation) while connecting on 45.2% from the floor. The Tigers are hitting 34.2% on shots from distance (124 of 363) and 76.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Missouri is snagging 33.8 rebounds per game and has accumulated 194 assists this year, which is 218th in the country in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 11.3 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.4 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Tigers are forcing their opponents into 14.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.1 fouls. They are surrendering 32.8% from 3-point land and they are ranked 187th in college basketball in PPG allowed (71.6). The Tigers are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.0% (342 of 796) and they surrender 36.6 boards per game as a basketball team. They are 143rd in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 178 surrendered so far this year.

In their last game, the Kentucky Wildcats got the victory with a final of 87-85 against Florida. When talking about cleaning the glass, Kentucky allowed Florida to grab 40 in total (10 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 29.0% from 3-point land by shooting 9 of 31 and ended up going 18 out of 29 from the free throw line (62.1%). The Wildcats permitted Florida to knock down 29 of 68 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.6% in this matchup. When all was said and done, the Wildcats shot 31 for 68 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.6%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, Kentucky made 5 of 20 attempts (25.0%). They were able to convert 20 of the free throw tries for a clip of 71.4%. Florida committed 23 personal fouls in this game which took the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 28 shots. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while recording 6 steals for this contest. The Wildcats were able to corral 30 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards totaling 35 in the game.

Antonio Reeves ended up being important for the Wildcats for this contest. He buried 8 of 16 for the game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He totaled 19 points in his 27 minutes of playing time, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes.

Kentucky has a mark of 11-2 for the season. The Wildcats are committing 15.4 personal fouls every game and they shoot 73.4% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 18.4 times per contest (12th in college basketball) and they turn it over 9.4 times per contest. Kentucky has totaled 1,180 points so far this season (90.8 per game) and they average 38.4 boards per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Wildcats are shooting 49.9% from the floor, which ranks them 16th in college basketball.

The Wildcats on defense are ranked 261st in college hoops in points given up per game with 74.3. They have forced 13.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 41.4% from the floor (104th in college basketball). The Kentucky defense surrenders 31.0% on 3-point attempts (110 of 355) and their opposition makes 68.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.9 dimes and 37.0 boards every game, which is 269th and 275th in college basketball.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Missouri

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