ESPN predicts the winner between the Kentucky Wildcats and Mississippi State Bulldogs

Can Mark Pope's team get a bounce back win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs?

Jan 4, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope claps during the first half against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky just lost its first game of SEC play on the road against the Georgia Bulldogs, and now they will head to Starkville, Mississippi, to look for a bounce-back ranked victory over Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs are an excellent basketball team highlighted by star guard Josh Hubbard. Last season, Hubbard played extremely well against the Kentucky Wildcats, hitting threes from all over the floor. If Kentucky lets Hubbard get hot from deep, it will be hard to win this ball game. Lamont Butler will need to slow Hubbard with his suffocating defense and always keep a hand in his face, as Hubbard can pull up in the blink of an eye.

Last time the Wildcats played in Starkville, it took a Reed Sheppard buzzer-beater to take down the Bulldogs, so now Mark Pope's team will look to win this game to get back on track.

Kentucky has also had its fair share of issues when it comes to physicality, and Mississippi State plays a physical brand of basketball, so Kentucky will have to be ready for this.

ESPN doesn't give the Wildcats a very good chance in this game as they only give Coach Pope's squad a 36.8% chance to get the bounce-back win in Starkville.

Kentucky did a great job bouncing back from a loss with a win against Gonzaga, and they will look to do the same against an excellent Mississippi State team. If the Wildcats are willing to go out and play physically, they can win this basketball game, but if they don't, it will be tough to win.