KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky's win over Ole Miss on Senior Night

Kellan Grady and Davion Mintz earned a win in their final home game at Rupp Arena, as the Kentucky Wildcats took down the Ole Miss Rebels by a final score of 83-72. It was a win that moved UK’s record to 24-6 on the year and 13-4 in conference play.

How did the victory come together? And what does it mean for the Wildcats as they prepare for their regular-season finale in Gainesville against the Florida Gators?

Grady and Mintz play final game at Rupp Arena

Davion Mintz returned to Kentucky to play a normal season in front of a packed Rupp Arena crowd. Kellan Grady transferred to UK looking to shine on college basketball’s greatest stage. Both players were honored for their contributions to the program on Senior Night.

Minutes before the opening tip, both players received proper send-offs from the Big Blue Nation, bursting through their paper hoops to the sound of a roar from the stands. The parents of both players were waiting at mid-court to celebrate the occasion.

Kellan Grady and Davion Mintz introduced one final time at Rupp Arena on Senior Night pic.twitter.com/4ZBdAhNumG

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) March 2, 2022

How did the guard duo play? Neither player cleared the double-digit scoring mark, but they combined for 17 points on 6-13 shooting and 3-8 from three to go with three assists and a steal in the win.

Bradley “B-Roll” McKee was in attendance to get all of the footage from Senior Night. You can check out the complete recap below:

Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington return to full strength

Grady and Mintz received the well-deserved hype during pregame festivities, but it was Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington who stole the show in the backcourt. After missing two games due to injury and struggling in their returns back to the floor at Arkansas, both players looked the part in Kentucky’s win over Ole Miss.

Wheeler played some of his best basketball of the year, finishing with an efficient 16 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT) to go with seven turnovers, three rebounds and just two turnovers in 35 minutes. He controlled the pace of the game and gave the Wildcats a scoring burst both inside and from deep, finishing with his highest point total since January 22.

“I got some of that rust off, getting in rhythm, scrimmaging and practicing,” Wheeler said. “Getting some extra time, shooting and handling the ball, doing different passes. Making sure I feel comfortable with my wrist.”

As for Washington, he finished with 14 points — the most he’s scored since February 8 — while adding four assists and three steals in 23 minutes. Most importantly, he looked healthy in the process, as did Wheeler. No limps, grimaces or winces for either of Kentucky’s recently injured guards, a positive sign going into the SEC Tournament.

“I just needed a little bit of time,” Washington added. “When you’re just coming back from injury, especially like a little nagging injury, it always takes time but I feel good. Foot, ankle, everything feels good.”

Kentucky managed to get by with Wheeler and Washington out or limited in recent weeks, but their absences were clearly felt. Now, Kentucky’s starting backcourt duo is back to full strength right when it matters most.

Oscar Tshiebwe makes history (again)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Oscar Tshiebwe broke another Kentucky basketball record in a dominant performance at Rupp Arena.

Finishing with a team-high 18 points (9-12 FG) and 15 rebounds, Tshiebwe tied Julius Randle (2013-14) for the second-most double-doubles in a season in Kentucky basketball history with 24. He’s now just two double-doubles away from breaking Dan Issel’s school record of 25 in 1969-70. He’s also just seven double-doubles away from breaking college basketball’s all-time record of 31 set by Navy’s David Robinson in 1986.

To put the icing on the cake, the Kentucky star also recorded his 460th rebound of the year, moving him up to No. 3 on the school’s all-time single-season list, passing Bob Burrow (459, 1954-55). The only two Wildcats ahead of him? Bill Spivey (567, 1950-51) and Cliff Hagan (528, 1951-52). Sitting 108 rebounds off the record, Tshiebwe would need to average 10.8 boards per game for the remaining 10 games of the season — if Kentucky makes it to the SEC and NCAA title games, of course. He’s on pace to break the record in seven games if he continues his 15.3 rebound average the rest of the way.

With 55 steals on the year — he had two tonight — Tshiebwe has also moved up to No. 28 on Kentucky’s all-time single-season steals list, tied with Anthony Epps (1995-96). He’s just six steals away from jumping into the top 20, potentially tying the likes of Derek Anderson, Antoine Walker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ashton Hagans at No. 17 overall with 61 in a year. 11 more would allow him to jump into the top 10, tying John Wall, Jared Prickett and Ron Mercer at No. 9 with 66 steals in a season.

Tshiebwe already has National Player of the Year honors locked up. Now he’s looking to shatter every Kentucky basketball record he can find.

Kentucky goes undefeated at home

It wasn’t just Tshiebwe breaking records at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night. In fact, the team as a whole made history, becoming just the 14th Kentucky squad to go undefeated at Rupp Arena in the venue’s 46-year history.

Finishing 18-0 at home on the year, it was also just the sixth time a John Calipari-coached team went undefeated at Rupp, joining the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2015-15 and 2015-16 teams. With another undefeated regular-season home slate, Kentucky now has an all-time Rupp Arena record of 633-77, good for an 89.2 percent winning rate. The Wildcats are 216-17 (92.7 percent) at home under Calipari.

What better way to celebrate Senior Night than with an undefeated season record at home?

Defensive issues cost blowout win

It wasn’t all pretty for the Wildcats in the team’s regular-season finale. The team cruised offensively, putting up 83 points on 60 percent shooting overall, 42.9 percent from three and 73.3 percent from the line. Defensively, though, Kentucky allowed Ole Miss to shoot 50 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three to keep the Rebels in the game late.

Up by as many as 14 points with 6:03 to go (70-56), Kentucky’s lead was cut down to as few as six points with 2:15 to go. The Rebels had open looks from deep all night and found success inside, with Calipari singling out Tshiebwe for his lack of physicality down low.

“Today I thought Oscar [Tshiebwe] got bullied,” Calipari said after the win. “I did, and I was on him about it and holding him accountable. Now, he gets 18 and 15, but he still got bullied.”

Individually, guard Matthew Murrell led the Rebels with 25 points on 9-16 shooting, including 5-8 from three. Center Nysier Brooks also added 14 points (6-10 FG), five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss. Former four-star recruit and Duke transfer Jaemyn Brakefield impressed on the glass, as well, finishing with eight boards to go with seven points, one assist and one steal.

Ole Miss is ranked 12th in the SEC winning just four games in the conference. The Rebels entered the day losing six of seven, clearly the inferior team. Did Kentucky enter the game with a chip on its shoulder looking to make a statement? Certainly not. That was evident on the defensive end of the floor.

At the end of the day, though, an 11-point win will suffice. The team secured a win and stayed healthy, which is always a plus this time of year.

Now, all eyes are on Kentucky’s regular-season finale in Gainesville on Saturday.