The Kentucky Wildcats take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Our college basketball odds series has our Kentucky Ole Miss prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Kentucky Ole Miss.

The Kentucky Wildcats have had a few familiar problems in recent seasons, problems which have remained true even though the differences in outcomes have been substantial. Let's explain that point. Last season, Kentucky was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and was viewed as a national championship contender entering the NCAA Tournament. Yet, that Kentucky team shot 34.7 percent on 3-pointers for the full season. You saw in the stunning upset loss to 15th-seeded Saint Peter's that Kentucky's guards and wings were not reliable 3-point shooters. Saint Peter's packed the paint against big man Oscar Tshiebwe and dared Kentucky's supporting cast to hit 3-point shots. The Wildcats couldn't do it — not enough to make a difference, not enough to outscore the Peacocks, who pulled off another 15-over-2 upset and electrified March Madness. Tshiebwe did not get a lot of post touches late in the game. John Calipari didn't create a team or a set of circumstances which was conducive to helping his star big man … and that's when Kentucky was a 2 seed.

Cal and the Cats are not a 2 seed this year. They're not even assured of making the NCAA Tournament. They're right on the middle of the bubble as a projected First Four team in Dayton. That's right on the cutline, barely on the good side. Kentucky is once again not hitting 3-pointers. The Wildcats made just 15 percent of their 3-point attempts in a loss to Kansas this past Saturday. Scoring just 68 points won't get it done against really good teams. Big Blue knows what it needs to improve if it wants to make the NCAAs and win a game in March.

Here are the Kentucky-Ole Miss college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:

College Basketball Odds: Kentucky-Ole Miss Odds

Kentucky Wildcats: -7.5 (-110)

Ole Miss Rebels: +7.5 (-110)

Over: 135.5 (-110)

Under: 135.5 (-110)

How To Watch Kentucky vs. Ole Miss

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT

*Watch Kentucky-Ole Miss LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why Kentucky Could Cover The Spread

The Wildcats aren't very good, but Ole Miss is horrible. The Rebels are several games under .500. They have won only one game in SEC competition this season, and that one win is against South Carolina, the one team arguably worse than the Rebels in the SEC (though one could make an argument that LSU is also the worst team in the conference). Lots of teams will expose Kentucky, but Ole Miss certainly isn't one of them, and that point is hard to argue against.

Why Ole Miss Could Cover The Spread

The Kentucky Wildcats have been exposed as a very frail and flawed team this season. One of the central weaknesses of Kentucky is that it doesn't shoot well from the perimeter. Teams can pack defenses in the paint and make life a lot harder for Oscar Tshiebwe, the returning National Player of the Year. Tshiebwe can't do everything. Ole Miss is not a very good team, but it plays hard. Playing hard and simply making Kentucky shoot 3-pointers — forcing the Wildcats to do something meaningful — is a realistic defensive plan the Rebels can successfully execute.

Final Kentucky-Ole Miss Prediction & Pick

It is true that Kentucky is a deeply flawed team which just lost by nine points at home to Kansas on Saturday, with Kansas having lost several games in a row, but that's not going to carry over to this game against Ole Miss, which has won just one game in the SEC all season and is a bad team. Kentucky will cover.

Final Kentucky-Ole Miss Prediction & Pick: Kentucky -7.5