The Missouri Tigers take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Missouri Ole Miss prediction and pick. Find how to watch Missouri Ole Miss.

Ole Miss, under first-year head coach Chris Beard, has done better than a lot of people were prepared to expect. Everyone knew that Beard was capable of doing something special, given his track record, but he inherited a program which had struggled for several seasons under previous coach Kermit Davis. No one was expecting an instant transformation in Oxford. It was viewed as a possibility, but not a likelihood. Yet, this season has vaulted Ole Miss into the NCAA Tournament conversation. The Rebels began the season 18-3, and they did not lose a single game in the nonconference portion of their schedule, a hugely impressive start for Beard at his newest coaching stop.

After starting 18-3, however, the Rebels have lost three straight to drop to 18-6 overall and 5-6 in the SEC. They are getting roughed up in a tough and difficult conference. They are right on the middle of the NCAA Tournament bubble, hovering in that dreaded “last four in, first four out” range. They need to stabilize their season here against a Missouri team which has been shockingly bad. A loss to Missouri at home would deal a crippling, possibly crushing, blow to Ole Miss's hopes of making the field of 68 one month from now.

Here are the Missouri-Ole Miss College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Missouri-Ole Miss Odds

Missouri Tigers: +11.5 (-102)

Ole Miss Rebels: -11.5 (-120)

Over: 143.5 (-110)

Under: 143.5 (-110)

How To Watch Missouri vs Ole Miss

Time: 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT

TV: SEC Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Missouri Could Cover the Spread

The Ole Miss Rebels, having lost three games in a row, are clearly playing the worst basketball of their season. One point to underscore about Ole Miss and its bad level of form is that the Rebels just faced Kentucky, a team dealing with a three-game home-court losing streak and a collapse on defense. Kentucky has been one of the worst defensive teams in the country in recent weeks. A struggling Gonzaga offense lit up the Wildcats in Rupp Arena one week ago. Kentucky allowed over 100 points to Tennessee — a team which sometimes has difficulty scoring — earlier in the season. Ole Miss, however, managed a paltry 63 points against Kentucky, a sign of a team which might be running out of steam as the season moves along. Teams might be figuring out how to play Ole Miss, particularly the Rebels' offense. This team needs to hit the reset button, and that's why being favored by 11.5 points over anyone seems unwarranted right now. Missouri is not a good team, but given the way Ole Miss is playing, just about any opponent should be able to stay within 11 points of the Rebels.

Why Ole Miss Could Cover the Spread

The idea that “just about anyone” should stay close to Ole Miss might be accurate enough, but is Missouri good enough to warrant “just about anyone” status? Mizzou isn't just anyone. Mizzou is by far the worst team in the SEC. It is the only team in the conference to not have a conference win. It is one of the few teams in major college basketball to lack a single conference win this late in the season. It has been a disastrous year for coach Dennis Gates, who did such a tremendous job to bring the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament last season. This season, his transfer portal pickups and roster adjustments have all whiffed. Missouri might be good next year, but the Tigers are an absolute mess this year. They are just what Ole Miss needs to get back on track.

Final Missouri-Ole Miss Prediction & Pick

Ole Miss is struggling, but Missouri is a total disaster. Take Ole Miss.

Final Missouri-Ole Miss Prediction & Pick: Ole Miss -11.5