No. 25 Ole Miss upsets No. 14 Kentucky after dominant first half

No. 25 Ole Miss has gone 0-4 in games against ranked opponents since upsetting then-No. 4 Alabama. That streak came to an end Tuesday night when the Rebels dominated No. 14 Kentucky 98-84.

The Rebels (17-6, 6-4 SEC) rode a 23-point halftime and survived a late run by Kentucky to secure the win at SJB Pavilion.

🗣️ KEEP GOING#HottyToddy X #Culture pic.twitter.com/3UsHpXNAQn

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 5, 2025

The Wildcats’ committed six turnovers in the first half while the Rebels didn’t commit any turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The Rebels scored six points off of those turnovers. But the biggest reason Ole Miss built a 23-point lead against the Wildcats was, simply put, the Rebels made more buckets than Kentucky.

Juju finds @mattmurrell_ on the backdoor cut 🔨#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/LK34TMr20O

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 5, 2025

Ole Miss made 20-of-33 its field goals (60.6 percent) while Kentucky made just 12-of-31 field goals (38.7). Additionally, the Rebels made more of their free throws (62.5 percent to 50 percent) and three-pointers (52.9 percent to 50 percent).

Matthew Murrell led the Rebels’ offense with 24 points, five rebounds, three assists while Jaylen Murray recorded a double-double (15 points, 10 assists) in Tuesday’s win. Murrell and Murray were two of five Ole Miss players score 10 or more points with the other three being Dre Davis (17 points), Malik Dia (16 points) and Jaemyn Brakefield (10 points).

Another electric night from @UMClubRed 🔴#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/A6lcOWE4Xt

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 5, 2025

Ole Miss, who fell two spots in the latest AP Top 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll, will get a chance to build upon its resume with a road trip to LSU on Saturday. The game will be televised on SEC Network starting at 6 p.m.