Mississippi State at Kentucky (-7.5) Point Spread Picks

Kentucky (31-2, 17-14 ATS) cruised into the SEC final after absolutely crushing the No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers 74-45 on Saturday. The victory improved the Wildcats to 6-4 against the spread in their past 10 games against college basketball odds-although Kentucky is just 2-3 ATS over its past five outings. Overall, Kentucky has won 12 of its last 13 games, including four straight.

Forward DeMarcus Cousins was an absolute beast for the Wildcats against Tennessee. Cousins averaged 15.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season, but he outdid himself with 19 and 15 against the Vols. It was part of a wild shooting afternoon for Kentucky; it hit 25-48 shots, an astounding .521 percent. Cousins didn't do it alone; freshman sensation John Wall added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Eric Bledsoe hit five three-pointers and scored 17 points. Kentucky also got the job done defensively, limiting the Volunteers to just 17-55 shooting (a paltry .309 field-goal percentage, including 2-15 from behind the arc).

Mississippi State (23-10, 15-12-1 ATS) finished the regular season with two straight losses, but it found its form with back-to-back wins in the SEC tournament. The most recent was a 62-52 over No. 23 Vanderbilt. That also gives the Bulldogs two straight victories against the spread. They've struggled against college basketball odds over the past few weeks, going 5-4-1 in their past 10 games.

Guard Barry Stewart came up big for the Bulldogs with a team-high 14 points. Three other players-Dee Bost, Phil Turner and Jarivs Varnado-chipped in with 11 points apiece. Varnado led Mississippi State in both scoring and rebounding this season (13.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, respectively) and he just missed out on another double-doublt after hauling in nine rebounds. Now, with wins over Florida and Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament, the Bulldogs are eyeing a date with March Madness.

Surprisingly, Mississippi State has controlled the series over the past few seasons. Kentucky needed overtime to beat the Bulldogs 81-75 in mid-February, and it was the first time in four games the Wildcats won straight up. Mississippi has also covered three of its last five meetings with Kentucky. The total-XXX at SPORTSBETTING.COM-has gone under in two of their past three meetings but went over in February.

Game Prediction

The Bulldogs may have secured a spot in the big dance with their win over Vandy yesterday. However, that isn't cared in stone, so we look for Mississippi to come up with a spirited game againt the Wildcats. Kentucky needed overtime to knock off the Bulldogs in their earlier match-up this season. Take Mississippi St. +7.5