Two coaches at vastly different college basketball programs will clash in an SEC game on Saturday. Chris Beard of the Ole Miss Rebels is already exceeding expectations. Beard has the comfort of coaching at a football school where a mere appearance in the NCAA Tournament is enough to keep the posse at bay.
On the other hand, Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope is at a legacy, Mt Rushmore program with a $22 million NIL Payroll. Kentucky is the ultimate basketball school, where a Final Four berth is the bare minimum. So far, Pope is off to an underwhelming start and is starting to feel the heat.
Last year, Beard took Ole Miss to the Sweet 16, which is college hoops nirvana in Oxford, MS. He also took another football school, Texas Tech, to the 2019 national championship game.
While Ole Miss and Kentucky have similar records, Beard is seen as the much more successful coach, at least at this point.
Mark Pope would be well-advised to beat Beard and his visiting Rebels on Saturday.
Ole Miss at Kentucky Preview
On Saturday, January 24, 2026, the Kentucky Wildcats will host the Ole Miss Rebels at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center in Lexington, KY. Tipoff time is Noon ET with television coverage on ESPN.
Public Betting Odds Factors
- The Rebels will appeal to sharps as a well-coached team that will get a potentially enhanced price on the road against a traditional blueblood power.
- Squares will flock to Kentucky, the legacy program playing at home against a program that is not yet respected by the masses.
Ole Miss at Kentucky Predictions
Handicapping Factors to Consider
- Kentucky is consistently overpriced against the college basketball spread.
- Ole Miss will be getting more points than deserved based on casual sector branding perceptions.
- The Wildcats show their worst betting value at home.
- Ole Miss has been a good value against Kentucky, especially on the road.
Ole Miss at Kentucky Prime Best Bet: Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss at Kentucky Betting Tips
Ole Miss Rebels
- Ole Miss has national metrics of 281st for scoring offense, 194th for field goal percentage, 183rd for 3-point field goal percentage, 98th for free throw percentage, and 260th for offensive rebounding.
- On defense, the Rebels have national metrics of 80th for scoring defense, 94th for field goal percentage permitted, 220th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 117th for defensive rebounding.
- The Ole Miss Rebels are 11-8 straight up, 6-13 against the spread, and 11-8 over/under the total.
- Ole Miss has covered the college basketball pointspread in three of their last four games.
- The Ole Miss Rebels have gone over the total in four of its previous six matchups.
Kentucky Wildcats
- Kentucky has national metrics of 108th for scoring offense, 55th for field goal percentage, 134th for 3-point field goal percentage, 164th for free throw percentage, and 129th for offensive rebounding.
- On defense, the Wildcats have national metrics of 67th for scoring defense, 69th for field goal percentage permitted, 68th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 56th for defensive rebounding.
- The Kentucky Wildcats are 13-6 straight up, 8-11 against the spread, and 9-10 over/under the total.
- Kentucky has covered two out of its last seven games.
- The Wildcats have gone over the total in three of its previous four matchups.
Ole Miss at Kentucky Head-to-Head and Key Stats
- Ole Miss covered the spread in three out of their last four away games.
- The Rebels went over the total in four of their last six road tilts.
- Kentucky failed to cover the spread in four of its last six home games.
- Kentucky went over the total in three of its last five home tilts.
- Ole Miss covered the spread in five of their last seven games against Kentucky, including two of their last three visits to Rupp Arena.
- The Rebels and Wildcats went over the total in four of their last five meetings.
