Gracie Frizzell shoots the ball in the first half of the Tennessee game. Photo: Jared Burleson, The Daily Mississippian.
The big storyline for Ole Miss women’s basketball matchup at Kentucky tonight is the return of head coach Matt Insell to Kentucky, where he served as an assistant coach for five seasons. The game may be emotional for Insell, but the Rebels have to approach this just like any other game.
The Rebels (10-15, 1-10 Southeastern Conference) are coming into tonight’s game having lost their last five games. Ole Miss is also searching for the first SEC road win of the season. In order to pick up this win, the Rebels can’t allow any big runs or big plays like they did in the Tennessee game where Meighan Simmons hit three 3-pointers in a row midway through the first half to put the game in the bag.
On the other hand, the 18th-ranked Wildcats are having their own struggles. Before opening SEC play, Kentucky started the season 14-1, including that epic four-overtime victory against Baylor on Dec. 6. Since conference play began, the Wildcats are just an eccentric 5-5 basketball team. Needless to say, the Rebels have a shot as long as they can match up with Kentucky’s high-scoring offense of 83.5 points per game.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be televised on Sports South.
Impact Players
Ole Miss: Junior point guard Amber Singletary is one name that has been talked about much this season. The 5-foot-9 guard has only been averaging around 15 minutes per game. However, in Sunday’s loss against Georgia, Amber was ready to play. She came off the bench to connect on three 3-pointers and gave the Rebels a boost. Expect Singletary to get some minutes and to provide a spark off the bench against Kentucky.
Kentucky: Senior power forward Samarie Walker could give Ole Miss senior forward Tia Faleru and company some problems. Walker played her freshman year at Connecticut and earned All-SEC second-team honors a season ago. Currently, Walker almost averages a double-double with 10.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Expect the matchup between her and Faleru to be the one to look out for.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss women’s basketball, follow @browningstubbs and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Browning Stubbs
bbstubbs@go.olemiss.edu
