Kentucky vs Missouri Prediction, Odds & Picks for December 28 (Defense Takes Back Seat at Mizzou Arena)

Kentucky vs Missouri Prediction, Odds & Picks for December 28 (Defense Takes Back Seat at Mizzou Arena)

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Kentucky vs Missouri Game Info

  • 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
  • No. 19 Kentucky (8-3, 0-0 SEC) vs. Missouri (11-1, 0-0 SEC)
  • Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2022
  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Venue: Mizzou Arena -- Columbia, Missouri

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Wednesday with an exciting matchup between the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats and Missouri Tigers. Kentucky took down Florida A&M, 88-68, on Dec. 21 to earn its fifth win in its last six games. Cason Wallace led the way with 27 points and 9 assists.

Meanwhile, Missouri picked apart Illinois' defense in a 93-71 victory on Thursday for yet another upset win. The Tigers were guided by the efforts of Kobe Brown, who logged 31 points (10-of-15 shooting), 8 assists and 5 rebounds. D'Moi Hodge chipped in with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Kentucky vs Missouri Odds & Spread

Kentucky enters this contest as small road favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 148.5 points, which is above average compared to Wednesday's projected totals.

Kentucky vs Missouri Betting Trends

  • Kentucky has four wins in 11 games against the spread this season.
  • The Wildcats have an ATS record of 4-5 as 3.5-point favorites or more.
  • Out of 11 Kentucky's games so far this season, five have hit the over.
  • Missouri is 6-4-0 against the spread this season.
  • The Tigers have won once ATS (1-1) as a 3.5-point underdog or greater this season.
  • There have been six Missouri games (out of 10) that went over the total this season.
Kentucky Rank Kentucky AVG Missouri AVG Missouri Rank
67th 78.7 Points Scored 88.8 4th
75th 64.4 Points Allowed 74.7 314th
10th 38.5 Rebounds 30.8 264th
9th 12.6 Off. Rebounds 9.8 108th
88th 8.5 3pt Made 10 16th
14th 18.1 Assists 19.8 4th
112th 11.7 Turnovers 12.4 178th

Kentucky vs Missouri Prediction & Pick

Missouri's 11-1 record is no joke, but the team has only faced one opponent that truly compares to Kentucky's dominance on both ends of the court. That was Kansas and the Tigers lost that game by 28 points. The Wildcats rank 31st in offensive efficiency and 38th in defensive efficiency this season.

The Tigers have been getting by on their ability to make easy baskets by the rim. After all, they rank second in the county in terms of two-point shooting percetage (61.6%). The Wildcats have the length to combat that strategy, though, and allow a two-point shooting mark of 43.2% (No. 19 in NCAA).

Kentucky is also 12-2 straight up in its last 14 games against Missouri, so give me the Wildcats here.

Final Score Prediction: Kentucky: 78 | Missouri: 75

Kentucky vs Missouri Best Bet

It doesn't matter how well Kentucky's defense has played when taking into account Missouri plays at one of the fastest paces in the nation. It's why the Tigers put up 64.7 field goal attempts per game (No. 6 in NCAA) and score 88.8 points per game (No. 2 in NCAA). They'll control the tempo at home.

Forcing the Wildcats to play faster than they normally do means the over has a better chance of cashing. The total has hit the over in five of Missouri's last six games overall as well as in four of its last five games against an SEC opponent. Back a shootout to break out at Mizzou Arena tonight.

Bet: Over 148.5 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.