Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Mississippi State: TV/Streaming Info and Keys to the Game

Published

3 years ago

February 14, 2023

After back-to-back losses, the Kentucky Wildcats are back to where they found themselves just over a month ago, outside of the tournament bubble. However, in their remaining six games, they have four quad-one opportunities – and potentially five if Auburn can move back into the top 30 of the NET rankings.

The first of those opportunities comes on Wednesday as Kentucky travels to Starkville to take on a tough Mississippi State team. Led by new head coach, Chris Jans – who previously coached New Mexico State to four conference titles in five seasons – the Bulldogs are winners of five in a row, beating Arkansas, Missouri, and a ranked TCU team.

According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, both teams are on the bubble, so expect a tough-fought game. With that said, history is in favor of Kentucky as they have lost to Mississippi State just one time in the John Calipari era in seventeen matchups. The lone loss came in the SEC tournament of a COVID shortened 2020-21 season, 74-73.

The Wildcats could be shorthanded for the third game in a row, as CJ Fredrick or Savhir Wheeler have yet to practice this week. Yet, the selection committee does not make exceptions for injury and the Wildcats need to win, with or without them.

On his weekly call-in show, John Calipari mentioned that the team came together on Sunday to take responsibility for how they have been playing and to recommit to each other as they enter the final stretch of the season. It’s up to this team to write their story.

Let’s look at the keys to Wednesday’s matchup.

Keep Them Out of Transition and the Paint

Mississippi State has one of the best defenses in the country. In fact, they are ranked 4th in the KenPom defensive efficiency ratings. However, as strong as they are on the defensive end, they are nearly as poor on the offensive end. Ranked 175th in offensive efficiency, they are the second-worst offensive team in the SEC, behind South Carolina.

Expect a low-scoring game, as the Bulldogs have not scored more than 70 points in conference play, which coincidentally came against Arkansas this past weekend. To get their points, they rely on transition offense and points in the paint.

To defend this, the Wildcats will need to spring back on defense and be physical in the paint. Two things, that they have not been consistent at doing this season.

Crash the Defensive Glass

One of Mississippi State’s biggest strengths is their offensive rebounding. Averaging 11.8 per game, the Bulldogs are statistically better than Kentucky by 0.2 rebounds.

The rebounding battle will be headlined between Oscar Tshiebwe and Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith. Just as Tshiebwe is Kentucky’s leading scorer and rebounder, Smith is the same for Mississippi State. Given that Tshiebwe has struggled to lesser players recently, a big effort will be needed to neutralize Smith.

Yet, Smith isn’t the only Bulldog that can rebound, as they have size and strength in their frontcourt. Their rotation consists of six guys that are at least 6-foot-7 and 22 pounds. For that reason, each Wildcat will need to do their part, matching the physicality and box out.

Make Smart Decisions

As Arkansas’s Eric Musselman said of Mississippi State earlier this season, they are “a high-steal, high-gamble team.” Averaging 9.4 steals per game, the Bulldogs steal the ball at the sixth-highest rate in the country.

Without Sahvir Wheeler in the last two games, errant passes have occurred too often, hurting themselves. This will have to change on Wednesday, as the Mississippi State defense will try to use steals to get themselves scoring opportunities in transition, to counter their poor offense.

If Kentucky can take care of the ball, it will force the Bulldogs to make plays within their half-court offense, which they have struggled to do.

Kentucky Wildcats (16-9) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-8)

Time/Date: 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, February 15th, 2023
Location: Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi.
TV Channel: SEC Network
Online Stream: WatchESPN, ESPN+, SEC Network+ or ESPN app
Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the UK radio network call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
Rosters: UK | MSU
Team Sheets: UK | MSU
Stats To Know: UK | MSU

Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has yet to release the odds for the game, but expect Kentucky to be an underdog. Given their recent loss, ESPN’s matchup predictor has lost confidence in the Cats, giving them just a 40% chance to win. Bart Torvik’s computer model continues to be low on the Wildcats and gives them a slimmer chance at 32%.

Predictions: Bart Torvik picks the Wildcats to lose in a close defensive battle, 65-61.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

Related Topics:Chris Jans CJ Fredrick John Calipari Mississippi State Oscar Tshiebwe Sahvir Wheeler

BB Recruiting

James Madison Transfer Justin McBride to Visit Kentucky on Tuesday

Published

14 hours ago

April 17, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky will host James Madison transfer James McBride for a visit on Tuesday, after communicating with Mark Pope and the staff via Zoom video call.

James Madison Athletics

While much of the attention in the transfer portal goes to the top targets, you need to build a full roster. Still with starting spots to be claimed, Kentucky also looking at depth pieces. The most recent, James Madison transfer Justin McBride.

After talking to the staff this week via Zoom video call, McBride is scheduled to take a visit to Lexington on Tuesday.

A three-star transfer, ranked 201st overall according to 247Sports, McBride is being recruited by multiple power conference teams including Baylor and Cal, as well as SEC foes Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Out of high school, McBride was a four-star recruit, ranked in the top 150 nationally.

“He is a versatile player who has that IT factor about him. You can tell by the passion he plays with that there is a huge chip on his shoulder,” 247Sports asked program director Vonzell Thomas said as he evaluated McBride out of high school. “What I like about his game is his will to win. He does whatever it takes to win and not every kid has that mentality.”

From Texas, McBride committed to Oklahoma State over the likes of Kansas and Arkansas, where he played alongside former Wildcat Bandon Garrison. There, he appeared in just 24 games, averaging just over five minutes per game.

Seeking a larger role, McBride entered the transfer portal and dropped to the mid-major level, committing to Nevada. With the Wolfpack he nearly tripled both his minutes and production, averaging 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game. His most recent stop, James Madison this past season, McBride had a breakout year, averaging 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from deep.

Entering his senior season, the 6-7, 240 pound McBride is eyeing a jump back to the power conference level, prioritizing fit at his next stop.

Will that be Kentucky?

McBride has good size and athleticism, and has an inside-out style of game. Meaning he can work his away around the paint, but can also space the floor with his shooting, grading fairly well as a catch and shoot guy. Overall, he ranks in the 97th percentile in scoring volume. That said, there is come consistency to be lacked on the defensive side.

BB Recruiting

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

1 week ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.

On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.

Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer

Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P

An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.

There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).

A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.

A freshman, those are both correctable things.

Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer

Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.

The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.

Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.

Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer

Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P

Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.

Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.

The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.

BB Recruiting

Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

Published

1 week ago

April 8, 2026

Tristan Pharis

Kentucky met with Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Muruaskas, one of the top forwards in the transfer portal, on Wednesday and is looking to schedule a visit for him to come to Lexington.

Saint Mary's Athletics

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.

Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.

Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.

This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.

Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.