Three Observations: Ole Miss Basketball Blows By No. 14 Kentucky
The Ole Miss Rebels had a strong night on offense against the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night.
The No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels rode a strong offensive performance to a 98-84 win over the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford.
Ole Miss (17-6, 6-4 SEC) needed a bounce-back game after dropping a contest to No. 1 Auburn on Saturday despite a valiant effort. The Rebels took that knowledge and returned to their winning ways in SEC play, gaining a key Quad 1 win in the process.
What did we observe from Ole Miss’ win on Tuesday? Let’s dive in below.
1. Matthew Murrell may not be 100 percent, but he was lights-out against the Wildcats.
Murrell was once again listed as “questionable” on the injury report from the SEC prior to Tuesday night’s game, but that didn’t seem to matter. He finished the night as Ole Miss’ leading scorer with 24 points and went a blistering 6-of-11 from three, providing a spark for a Rebels offense that was firing on all cylinders for most of the night.
The veteran guard may not be 100-percent healthy, but it sure didn’t seem to slow him down during his 35 minutes on Tuesday night.
2. Ole Miss played clean basketball, and that will win you games.
The Rebels only committed one turnover on Tuesday, and Kentucky was not able to score off of it. The Wildcats, by comparison, turned it over eight times, and Ole Miss was able to turn those opportunities into nine points.
Taking care of the basketball is key in SEC play, and this paired with Ole Miss’ prominent offensive performance propelled them to a win over the nationally-ranked Cats.
3. Speaking of shooting, multiple Rebels were tough to slow down on Tuesday.
Murrell was one of five Ole Miss players who finished with double-digit scoring. The Rebels hit 13 threes in the win, and they shot over 50 percent from the field.
There were times in the first half where it seemed Kentucky simply could not get a stop on the Rebels offense, and that deficit created before halftime carried over after the intermission. The Wildcats put up a comeback effort (outscoring Ole Miss 53-44 in the second half), but it wasn’t enough for the clutch offensive performance from Chris Beard’s team.
NEXT: A road date vs. LSU
Ole Miss took down LSU in Oxford earlier this season by a final score of 77-65, but it’s tough to play on the road in the SEC. The Rebels will need to bring energy to the 7:30 p.m. CT tip-off on Saturday if they hope to gain another league win.
