This computer model believes Kentucky will beat Mississippi State

ESPN believes the Kentucky Wildcats will beat Mississippi State.

The Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to host a gritty Mississippi State basketball team. 

The Bulldogs of Mississippi State aren't the best offensive team, as they are 165th in college hoops in points per game, scoring 75.2. What this team lacks in offense, they make up for on the defensive side of things as teams struggle to shoot the three ball against them and flat-out score. The Bulldogs are also a deep team, scoring 32.44 points per game from their bench, which is 13th-best in all of college basketball. 

ESPN's matchup predictor believes the Kentucky Wildcats will take down the Mississippi State Bulldogs, giving them a 73.3% chance to win this game. This matchup predictor has been pretty consistent that when the Wildcats are at home, they have a high percentage to win, but, on the road, they don't have as high of a percentage. 

Coach Calipari has talked a lot about how Kentucky is working on their defense in practice, and this will hopefully help them guard one on one. 

All of Big Blue Nation knows the Wildcats have struggled on defense this year, and it needs to be cleaned up. If the defense doesn't get better, one bad day shooting could send Kentucky home early from the NCAA Tournament. Playing this Mississippi State team that isn't great offensively will hopefully give the Cats an opportunity to work on their ability to guard their man and help when the Bulldogs drive. Mississippi State is currently number 34 in NET Rankings and could work their way into Quad 1 territory so this is a must win for Kentucky.