Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s loss to the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford
READ MORE
Game day: No. 25 Ole Miss 98, No. 14 Kentucky 84
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Mississippi in Oxford, Miss.
Expand All
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s 98-84 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels on Tuesday at The Pavilion in Oxford.
1. UK’s worst performance of the season
Part 1 of all you need to know: Kentucky was outscored 54-31 in the first half, its largest halftime deficit since Feb. 16, 2013, when Cats trailed 50-26 at Tennessee. They lost that game 88-58. It was UK’s first outing after Nerlens Noel tore his ACL at Florida. That Kentucky team ended up losing to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT.
(For UK basketball history buffs: That was also the game in which John Calipari told Archie Goodwin, “I can’t coach you.”)
Simply put, after Saturday’s disappointing loss to John Calipari and Arkansas, the Cats responded with no energy, no intensity and no focus. Kentucky’s first three turnovers consisted of two shot clock violations and a backcourt 10-second violation.
Starting point guard Lamont Butler was unavailable for the third straight game because of a shoulder injury is a problem, but that wasn’t the major problem Tuesday. Remember, these same Wildcats beat No. 6 Tennessee without Butler just a week ago.
Kentucky came out flat and paid a steep price.
2. Kentucky’s lack of defense is a glaring problem
Part 2 of all you need to know: Ole Miss finished the game with 24 assists and one turnover.
Yes, one turnover.
At first, UK’s inability to defend was overshadowed by Mark Pope’s ability to scheme up an entertaining and efficient offense. Then the ability to defend became troubling. Then it became a problem. Now it’s a major problem.
Ole Miss is good but not great offensive team. Or at least the Rebels were not a great offensive team before Saturday. They ranked 36th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency rankings. They were shooting 51.6% on 2-point shots, 163rd best in the nation. They were shooting 34.8% from 3-point range, 113th nationally.
Against Kentucky, not only did Ole Miss score 54 points in the first half, it scored 98 for the game, the most by an Ole Miss team against Kentucky. The Rebels shot 54.7% from the floor. They ended up 13-for-30 shooting from 3-point range. They did pretty much whatever they wanted on the offensive end of the floor.
Ole Miss drilled nine of its 17 shots from 3-point range in the first half. Combined with Arkansas’ 13-for-25 showing from beyond the arc last Saturday, UK’s foes went 22-for-42 from downtown over a 60-minute period.
Get this: The Cats made six of their seven shots to start the second half, but Ole Miss made six of its first eight shots in the second period and led 68-43 with 14:59 left.
“Right now,” Pope said, “we are going through a tough spot where we are searching for answers defensively.”
3. Mark Pope has to recharge Kentucky’s battery
Yes, the loss to Calipari and Arkansas was disappointing. Yes, Pope said his players were hurting after being upset by the Razorbacks on a night that clearly belonged to UK’s former coach. Yes, the inability to shake off that defeat might have played a role in UK’s poor performance against the Rebels.
But Kentucky has now lost four of its last five games. It is underwater in the SEC at 4-5. The Cats still have Tennessee, Alabama (on the road), Auburn and Missouri (on the road) among the teams left on the schedule. Who are we kidding? This year, every SEC opponent on the schedule is a headache.
That includes Saturday’s opponent, South Carolina. At 0-9, the Gamecocks are the only SEC team winless in conference play. But Lamont Paris’ team lost by three points to Auburn, three at Vanderbilt, one to Florida, in overtime to Mississippi State, and by four to Texas A&M. The Gamecocks are due to pull one out.
Kentucky did show signs of life in Tuesday’s second half. The Cats shot 63% from the floor and outscored the Rebels 53-44. Amari Williams recorded the fourth triple-double in school history. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. And it won’t be enough the rest of the way if Kentucky plays the way it played Tuesday night.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 9:54 PM.
