Ole Miss guard Derrick Millinghaus pushes past South Carolina’s Duane Notice in Saturday’s game. Photo: Tyler Jackson, The Daily Mississippian.
The schedule gets tougher. Ole Miss will hit the road to take on Kentucky in Rupp Arena tonight. The Rebels and Wildcats are tied for second in the Southeastern Conference standings.
Ole Miss (15-6, 6-2 SEC) is coming off a huge comeback victory over South Carolina, but now the Rebels will start a tough stretch in the SEC that sees Ole Miss play three of its next four on the road.
“(We) have to battle the five future pros, a hall of fame coach and 23,000,” head coach Andy Kennedy said.
Kentucky is one of the biggest teams in the country; none of its starters is under 6-foot-6. This height helps make Kentucky one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The Wildcats are fifth in the NCAA in total rebounding percentage and first in offensive rebounding percentage. Ole Miss is the second worst defensive rebounding team in the SEC.
Kentucky is led in the frontcourt by freshman Julius Randle, who is expected to be a top NBA draft pick this summer. Randle leads the team in points, 16.1 per game, and rebounds, 10.1 per game. Joining him up front will be two 7-footers. Sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein is second in the SEC with 3.1 blocks per game, but in Kentucky’s last game, he was replaced in the starting lineup by freshman Dakari Johnson.
“We have to make a bunch of shots because it’s hard to get rebounds (against Kentucky),” Kennedy said.
In the backcourt, Kentucky starts three freshman guards — all at 6-foot-6. The point guard is Andrew Harrison, who averages 11.1 points and 3.5 assists per game. His twin brother, Aaron Harrison, starts on the wing and scores 14.1 per game. Along with the twins is Kentucky’s 3-point shooter, James Young. He attempts just under seven threes per game and knocks down 35 percent of them.
Ole Miss, which plays the most zone in the SEC, will likely stay in 2-3 zone to keep Kentucky from beating it up inside. This strategy worked to slow down Johnny O’Bryant and LSU, but Tennessee shot 55 percent on threes and destroyed Ole Miss’ 2-3 zone. LSU and Tennessee are second and third behind Kentucky in rebounding.
Junior guard Jarvis Summers and senior guard Marshall Henderson will have to continue to play like all-SEC players if Ole Miss is going to go into Rupp Arena and have a chance to win. The duo combines to average 37 points per game, but it will be the role players who need to step up to beat Kentucky.
Ole Miss got career games from freshman forward Sebastian Saiz with his 20 points versus LSU, and from sophomore forward Anthony Perez with his 22 points versus South Carolina. The Rebels might need another 20-point outburst.
Or, getting everyone to contribute could lead to an upset. If Ole Miss can get Saiz, Perez, junior guard LaDarius White and junior forward Aaron Jones all around the 10-point mark, then the Rebels might have enough offensive firepower to take down Kentucky.
The game will tip at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPNU.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @Tyler_RSR and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
