Mississippi State vs Georgia Predictions and Odds (Jan. 11)

• Mississippi State and Georgia meet in an SEC game on Wednesday, January 11
• Mississippi State is a 1.5-point road favorite over the more-easterly Bulldogs
• Read below for Mississippi State vs Georgia odds and prediction

Mississippi State (12-3, 1-2 SEC) is a 1.5-point road favorite over Georgia in an SEC game at 6:30 pm ET Wednesday on the SEC Network. The Bulldogs won their first 11 games and  reached No. 15 in the AP Top 25 before losing three of its last four, to Drake and Top 10 teams Alabama and Tennessee.

Georgia (11-4, 1-1 SEC) is 9-0 at home this season and with its next victory will double both its overall and SEC victory totals from 2001-22. The Bulldogs are 7-2 SU and ATS in the last nine.

Mississippi State vs Georgia Odds

Odds from DraftKings on Jan. 10. Get a DraftKings promo code to bet on Mississippi State vs Georgia. 

Mississippi State is a 1.5-point road favorite over Georgia in the teams’ first and only meeting this season. Mississippi State is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in the series since 2017, when Georgia won 79-72 but did not cover as an 8.5-point favorite. Georgia is 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS as an underdog in the last four.

Mississippi State is 6-8-1 ATS this season and has failed to cover in nine of its last 11 games, with two victories and push in that stretch. Georgia is 8-7 ATS this season. The total has gone over in five of Georgia’s last six games. Twelve of Mississippi State’s 15 games have gone under the total.

Georgia Turning It Around

In coach Mike White’s first year here, Georgia is succeeding with a group effort. Bradley transfer and leading scorer/distributor guard 6’0 Terry Roberts — 15.7 points. 4.2 assists, 1.9 steals — is the only Bulldog playing as many as 30 minutes per game. Four others are averaging at least 20 minutes, and everyone else the roster is averaging at least 14. White has used eight starting lineups while integrating new players and dealing with injuries as he rebuilds a team that lost its last 12 and 20 of its last 21 a year ago

Kario Oquendo had 17 points vs Rider last week. Really liked his first step and overall athleticism on catch & drives. Also a believer in the jumper long term pic.twitter.com/PNJ1w51be0

— Mavs/Magic Draft (@MavsDraft) January 1, 2023

The current first unit — Roberts, guard 6’4 Kario Oquendo (14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds), forward 6’10 Braelon Bridges (7.5, 4.3), forward 6’7 Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (6.5, 5.5) and guard Madrez McBride — is 4-1 since starting for the first time in an 77-72 victory over Notre Dame on Dec. 18. Oquendo, a second-team preseason All-SEC choice, missed three games with a leg contusion. Like White, transfers Moncrieffe (Oklahoma State), McBride (North Texas) and guard Just Hill (Longwood) are in their first seasons here

Roberts has 51 points in the last two games, 25 in an 82-75 loss at Florida the last time out in White’s return to Gainesville, where he coached the previous six seasons. Roberts had four assists, eight rebounds and three steals in that one. He and Oquendo were JuCo teammates at Florida Southwestern State two years ago.

Mississippi State in Slight Slump

After winning its first 11 games under new coach Chris Jans to reach No. 15 in the AP Top 25, Mississippi State has lost three of four, although the degree of difficulty has been high. Two of the losses were at home to No. 4 Alabama and on the road at No. 5 Tennessee. Mississippi State  broke a three-game skid with a 64-54 victory over arch-rival Ole Miss in Starkville the last time out, only its second win-and-cover since the fourth game of the season, a 79-42 victory over South Dakota on Nov. 17.

SEC FG% leaders entering today:

Oscar Tshiebwe (@KentuckyMBB): 61.1%
Kobe Brown (@MizzouHoops): 59.7%
Tolu Smith (@HailStateMBK): 58.9%
K.J. Williams (@LSUBasketball): 55.6%
D'Moi Hodge (@MizzouHoops): 51.9%

— College Basketball Reference (@collegebb_ref) January 7, 2023

Senior post 6’10 Tolu Smith leads Mississippi State in scoring (14.2 points) and rebounding (7.8) and was named a preseason All-SEC first-teamer. Senior forward 6’7 (9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds) is second in both categories for a team that compensates for being one of the worst offensive teams in Division I (41.9 field goal shooting, 62 percent free throw shooting) by being one of the best at the defensive end.  Opponents are shooting only 38.7 from the field and committing 15.9 turnovers per game. Smith had 12 points against Ole Miss but played only 15 minutes because of foul trouble.

Mississippi State vs Georgia Prediction

Proven winner White has Georgia is back on sound footing in his first season in Athens. With Roberts and Oquendo, Georgia is equipped to push at pace against a team that would play a slower game and does not shoot well regardless of the tempo. State’s trouble at the foul line could come into play in what looks like a down-to-the-wire game. Take the team that is playing well, Georgia, and the points.

• Pick: Georgia +1.5 (-115)
• Season CBK: 16-9 ATS