Ole Miss Welcomes Kentucky into the Pavilion

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

The Ole Miss men’s basketball team will return to the court on Tuesday as they play host to the Kentucky Wildcats inside the Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN.

The Rebels will close out the regular season with the final two home games this week. Kentucky is the only SEC foe that Ole Miss has not faced yet.  

Ole Miss (13-10, 8-8 SEC) is coming off a 75-70 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday. Coming off the loss to Vanderbilt, Coach Kermit Davis’ squad is 60th in the NET.

The Rebels lead the SEC in scoring defense, surrendering only 66.9 ppg in conference play. The Rebels rank 24th nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.3).

Ole Miss has shot 75% (111 of 148) from the free-throw line over the past seven games; through the first 16 games of the season, the Rebels were making free throws at a 66.1% clip (203 of 307).

Kentucky rolls into Oxford with an 8-14 overall record and a 7-8 mark in conference play after a 71-67 loss to Florida.

This season, Kentucky is led by Brandon Boston Jr. in scoring (12.0 ppg), steals (1.4 spg) and free throw percentage (80.6). The Wildcats have balanced scoring with six players averaging between 7-12 points per game.

Kentucky leads the SEC in blocks (6.2 per game) led by freshman Isaiah Jackson, the conference’s leading shot blocker (2.7 per game).

When the ball is tipped up, it will be the 122nd meeting between the two schools. The Wildcats hold a 108-13 lead in the series, but two of the Rebels’ 13 all-time wins have come in the last 15 meetings. Ten of Ole Miss’ victories over Kentucky have occurred in Oxford, but the Wildcats have won both contests played in The Pavilion.