Who will win Kentucky basketball vs Missouri in SEC game today? Our expert prediction

• Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope hopes to end the regular season with a win against Missouri, but says the result won’t impact the team’s confidence heading into next week’s SEC Tournament.
• Pope’s main goal for the game is for the Wildcats to stay healthy, especially with guards Kerr Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson already out for the season with injuries.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series against Missouri 15-3, but the teams have split the last four meetings.
• The Tigers lead the SEC in steals per game at 9.7.

As with every game, Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope hopes his team walks away with a win in today’s regular-season finale at Missouri. Coupled with Tuesday’s senior night victory over LSU, Pope said a road win against Missouri would make him “feel good” heading into next week’s SEC Tournament.

But, win or lose today, “it won’t have any impact on our confidence overall or our belief in our guys,” Pope said.

“I think this league is really spectacular … so I think you want to get every single win you can, and you understand what it is,” Pope said. “And I think that it’s really imperative for everybody in this league that you understand how great the level of competition here is — and it shouldn’t ever affect your confidence.”

Aside from another win, Pope said his primary objective in today’s tussle with the Tigers is to “get through the game healthy.” (UK guards Kerr Kriisa and Jaxson Robinson are both out for the season with foot and wrist injuries, respectively.)

The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 15-3. But the squads have split the past four meetings.

And today’s contest between Kentucky (20-10, 9-8 SEC) and Missouri (21-9, 10-7) pits ranked foes against each other.

The Tigers are No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches poll and No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25, while the Wildcats are 24th in the coaches rankings and 19th in the AP poll.

Here’s what to know about Kentucky’s SEC matchup against Missouri today in Columbia:

The contest between the Wildcats and Tigers on will air on ESPN. You can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.

UK and Missouri are slated to tip off at noon ET today.

• Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
• Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
• Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
• Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
• Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
• Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
• Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
• Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
• Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
• Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
• Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
• Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
• Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
• Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65
• Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Brown 54
• Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 106, Florida 100
• Jan. 7: at Georgia | SCORE: Georgia 82, Kentucky 69
• Jan. 11: at Mississippi State | SCORE: Kentucky 95, Mississippi State 90
• Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 81, Texas A&M 69
• Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Alabama 102, Kentucky 97
• Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt | SCORE: Vanderbilt 74, Kentucky 69
• Jan. 28: at Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 78, Tennessee 73
• Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas | SCORE: Arkansas 89, Kentucky 79
• Feb. 4: at Ole Miss | SCORE: Ole Miss 98, Kentucky 84
• Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina | SCORE: Kentucky 80, South Carolina 57
• Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 75, Tennessee 64
• Feb. 15: at Texas | SCORE: Texas 82, Kentucky 78
• Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt | SCORE: Kentucky 82, Vanderbilt 61
• Feb. 22: at Alabama | SCORE: Alabama 96, Kentucky 83
• Feb. 26: at Oklahoma | SCORE: Kentucky 83, Oklahoma 82
• March 1: vs. Auburn | SCORE: Auburn 94, Kentucky 78
• March 4: vs. LSU | SCORE: Kentucky 95, LSU 64
• March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN

Record: 20-10 (9-8 SEC)

Missouri 88, Kentucky 81: One factor working against the Wildcats today is their lack of luck in road games; they are 3-6 in such affairs this season. And consider the Tigers’ dominance at home, winners of 18 of 19 outings at Mizzou Arena in 2024-25. (Missouri’s lone home setback: Texas A&M earned a 67-64 win last month.) While the environment won’t be friendly to the visitors, neither will the hosts be hospitable on the floor. Which is the area of greatest concern for the Wildcats. With Kriisa and Robinson sidelined the remainder of the season, it heaps even greater responsibility on the (hurt) shoulders of Lamont Butler to run the offense. As he continues to nurse himself back to health, however, he can’t play all 40 minutes. That’s where freshman Travis Perry, a more natural off-ball guard than primary distributor, has been called upon to run the point to give Butler a breather. When opponents see Perry on the floor, they’ve gone out of their way to attack him. Expect Mizzou’s opportunistic defense to also focus on making Perry’s life a nightmare: The Tigers produce the most steals per game (9.7) of any SEC team. They’ll swipe the ball away from Perry a few times this afternoon. And in a game where every possession will count, those empty trips offensively will cost Kentucky in the end. Chalk up a single-digit victory for the Tigers on the day they honor their senior class.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.