ESPN predicts the winner between Kentucky and Ole Miss

ESPN projects who will win between the Kentucky Wildcats and Ole Miss men's basketball.

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope after winning a NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 17, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kentucky Wildcats are now on a four-game winning streak after defeating Mississippi State, LSU, Tennessee, and most recently, Texas. In those four games, this Kentucky basketball team has looked like a completely different team. Malachi Moreno even says he feels like the Mississippi State game was the lightbulb this team needed to realize they can produce even without Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance on the floor. Now, the Wildcats will return their attention to facing Ole Miss (11-8, 3-3 SEC) on Saturday.

On paper, the Ole Miss Rebels are the easiest game remaining on the schedule, but Kentucky can't let their 3-3 conference record fool them, as this is still the same team that beat Georgia on the road in overtime last week. Overall, there isn't much that Chris Beard's squad does really well other than being excellent at taking care of the ball. Since SEC play begin, Ole Miss is first in turnover percentage. On the defensive side, though, watch out down low because they are top 25 in the country at blocking shots, and big man Malik Dia is 5th in the SEC in blocks since conference play started. But, they have a lot of other areas to improve on, especially rebounding, as they are 15th in the SEC in offensive rebounds and 14th in defensive. Opponents are also getting to the line very easily. In their most-recent loss to Auburn, the Rebels allowed them to shoot 32-39 from the line. Kentucky is coming off a 30-35 night from the line, their most this season, and may want to replicate that on Saturday.

A big key for Kentucky in this one not only is continue trying to get to the free-throw line, but also take Ole Miss off of the three-point line and make them score from inside. The Rebels rank 14th in SEC through six games in conference, and in their loss to Auburn, shot just 12-33 from inside the arc, as many of their other losses have seen bad two-point shooting performances as well. But, where Kentucky can really twist this game around is if their activity on defense can disrupt the very efficient Ole Miss offense, because they take care of the ball really well. If Kentucky can find a way to make the Rebels uncomfortable, that will bode well for them.

Jan 21, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen (1) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

As we get set for an early 11 a.m. ET tipoff in Rupp Arena, ESPN gives Kentucky an 82.5% chance to come away with the win over the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday. If Kentucky can do similar to what they did on Wednesday against Texas, getting to the line at will and staying aggressive defensively, this one should be a comfortable win for the Wildcats.

Kentucky can't afford to drop another home loss, especially to a team that is currently ranked as a Quad 3 opponent for the Wildcats. Mark Pope's Wildcats need to take care of business on Saturday and keep the recent momentum going.