After getting decimated in Knoxville on Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats will look to bounce back in a tricky road matchup against Ole Miss.
The nation was singing the praises of the Kentucky Wildcats after they climbed into the top 4 of the polls, but that sound you hear is a lot of casual fans hopping off the bandwagon. It’s hard to blame them after the Wildcats were outclassed in a 71-52 beating at Tennessee.
This was not unexpected with the Volunteers looking for revenge after getting routed at Rupp Arena a few weeks ago, but the degree to which Kentucky was outplayed was shocking. Kentucky shot only 31.8% from the floor in the defeat, but it is worth noting that they were again without the services of senior forward Reid Travis.
Travis sat out his third consecutive game with a sprained right knee, and he is one of the most important players to John Calipari’s team. There is a chance that Travis returns in time for this game, and if he does it would be a huge boost to Kentucky’s chances.
This game is also very important for Ole Miss, which finds itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble with just a week to go in the regular season. The Rebels are trending in the wrong direction, dropping three out of their last four games, including a 74-73 loss at Arkansas on Saturday.
Like their loss against Tennessee earlier in the week, this one was a heartbreaker for the Rebels, who fell when Arkansas guard Jalen Harris hit the go-ahead layup with 5.9 seconds to go. Ole Miss has lost their last two games by a combined three points, so they easily could have two victories, meaning Kentucky can’t sleep on this team.
How to watch Kentucky vs. Ole Miss
- Date: Tuesday, March 5
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Oxford, MS
- Venue: The Pavilion at Ole Miss
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN