KSR Today: Kentucky Ends Rupp Losing Streak in Ole Miss Win
Ding-dong, the streak is dead! Kentucky lost three straight home games. The befuddling slump ended Tuesday night at Rupp Arena as the Wildcats figured things out in a 75-63 win over Ole Miss.
Kentucky looked better, but not like themselves. The Wildcats did not win by lighting it up from behind the three-point line. Sure, they made 6 of 18 three-pointers, but this wasn’t a night where they needed to out-offense their opponent to win.
Kentucky played defense. They held Ole Miss to only 29 points in the first half and limited the Rebels to 37.5% from the field and 22.7% from three. The road team did not cross the 60-point threshold until there were 37 seconds left on the clock. Only three UK opponents have scored fewer points this season: Texas A&M Commerce, New Mexico State, and Arkansas.
It was not entirely smooth sailing for the Cats. Ole Miss started the second half with a bang, trimming a 15-point deficit to six by the first media timeout. The Rebels took advantage of Kentucky’s mistakes, and the Cats made plenty. The Wildcats committed a season-high 15 turnovers that turned into 21 Ole Miss points.
Even though the game was clunky at times, the stars delivered the goods when Kentucky needed buckets to keep Ole Miss at bay. Reed Sheppard had 13 points, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds. Antonio Reeves scored 15 points, while Rob Dillingham added 10 points.
Kentucky does not get too long to exhale from the victory. They’ll hit the road this Saturday to face Auburn in one of the most raucous environments in college basketball.
Lucky No. 7
Seven was the magic number for a couple of Cats in the first half Tuesday night at Rupp Arena. Justin Edwards continued his ascendance by scoring the first seven points of the game for the Wildcats. In the midst of another signature slow start, it was the freshman from Philly who provided an early lift that helped Kentucky kick off the dust. Edwards finished with 12 points, just his second double-figure scoring night in SEC play.
While Edwards provided the early offense, Ugonna Onyenso delivered defensive disruptions. Facing a pair of Ole Miss seven-footers, Kentucky’s sensational sophomore swatted seven shots in the first 13:30 minutes. Ugo finished with 10 blocked shots, second only to Nerlens Noel’s record-breaking performance at Ole Miss 11 years ago. It was the most blocked shots by a player at Rupp Arena since David Robinson was suiting up for the Naval Academy.
Ready for the 7-7-7? Over the final seven minutes of the first half, Kentucky outscored Ole Miss 22-6. Kentucky has been a team that struggled to finish halves with authority and they did just that against Chris Beard’s squad.
Finally, Every Kentucky Wildcat Played
For the first time all season, Kentucky had its complete roster available. The season began without the three seven-footers, and then DJ Wagner suffered an ankle injury that left him with lingering pain. Tre Mitchell‘s back started acting up right around the same time. The two Kentucky starters returned on Tuesday night, but not for long.
Wagner was back in the starting lineup but received fewer minutes (18) than the rest of the guards. Just when you thought Mitchell was back, he suffered another injury. He left the game early in the second half with a shoulder injury.
How did Moussa Cisse do this?
Postgame Comments and Rapid Reaction
If you hit the hay right after the late game ended, you missed quite a bit. A recap of what was said after the duel between the Cats and the Rebels.
- John Calipari’s Postgame Press Conference
- What the Players Said About the Win
- Highlights from the Kentucky Victory over Ole Miss
- The KSR Postgame Show w/Ryan Lemond and Billy Rutledge
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Jack and Zack wore matching outfits. How cute!
Shocking Results Around College Basketball
Top 10 teams continued to take Ls on the road and last night was no exception. North Carolina fell at the Carrier Dome 86-79, Syracuse’s first victory over a Top 10 team since 2019. It dropped Top 10 teams to 33-34 on the road against unranked foes. They finished the night with a .500 overall record, on pace to be the worst in college basketball history.
They weren’t the only ranked team to fall. Indiana State was in the Top 25 for the first time since Larry Bird was in Terre Haute. A sub-.500 Illinois State team went to the home of the Sycamores and handed them a 13-point whooping.
The most shocking result was in Nashville. Texas A&M took down Tennessee on Saturday, blitzing the Vols at home in a 16-point victory. The road is a different animal. Ezra Manjon fumbled the game-winner, then dropped it into the bucket to knock off the Aggies. LSU had a chance for some late heroics at Florida, but couldn’t make the same magic as Manjon.
Wednesday College Basketball Schedule
Michigan State at Penn State | 6:30 | BTN
Miami at Clemson | 7:00 | ESPN2
Xavier at Seton Hall | 7:00 | CBSSN
#11 South Carolina at #13 Auburn | 8:30 | SEC Network
#1 UConn at DePaul | 9:00 | CBSSN
#8 Tennessee at Arkansas | 9:00 | ESPN2
Happy Valentine’s Day!
You’re welcome for the reminder. Good luck to all of the ladies and gentlemen looking for love on the most romantic day of the year. Somebody found it last night. During the first media timeout of the game, there was a proposal at Rupp Arena and SHE SAID YES!
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