5 Things To Know About Ole Miss, Kentucky's opponent tonight

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, your University of Kentucky Wildcats will look to get back in the win column at Ole Miss. The Rebels are 9-12 this season, 1-7 in the SEC, their lone league win coming over fellow cellar dweller South Carolina. Needless to say, things are not going well in Kermit Davis’ fifth season in Oxford.

Brandon Ramsey will have a detailed scouting report for you in just a bit, but for now, here are some quick things you need to know about the Rebels.

1. Their top two scorers were out last game

Adding to Ole Miss’ woes is the fact that they may be without their top two scorers tonight. Guard Matthew Murrell (14.9 PPG) and point guard Daeshun Ruffin (9.5 PPG) missed Saturday’s game at Oklahoma State. Murrell has been dealing with a knee sprain and is a game-time decision tonight, but traveled with the team to Stillwater. Ruffin has battled injuries and illness and did not make the trip, which Davis said was a coach’s decision.

With Murrell and Ruffin both out vs. Oklahoma State, sophomore James White and freshman Amaree Abram started in the backcourt for the Rebels. Freshman TJ Caldwell came off the bench to score 12 points. He and Jaemyn Brakefield were the only Rebels to finish in double figures.

2. They’ve lost 9 of their last 10

Ole Miss is not trending in the right direction. The Rebels have lost nine of their last ten games and five straight at home. That streak started with a one-point loss to North Alabama on Dec. 20. Wildly, a week later, the Rebels came within four points of upsetting then-No. 7 Tennessee, 63-59. Their other home losses are to UCF (72-61), then-No. 21 Auburn (82-73), Georgia (62-58), and Missouri (89-77).

3. Lopsided Series History

Not surprisingly, Kentucky dominates the series history vs. Ole Miss 109-14 edge, 29-11 in Oxford. John Calipari is 17-5 vs. Ole Miss in his career, while Kermit Davis is 1-3 vs. Kentucky in his. Ole Miss’ last win vs. Kentucky was in 2021 when Devontae Shuler and KJ Buffen combined for 33 points to lead the Rebels to the 70-62 victory in the SJB Pavilion in Oxford. Last season, the Cats got revenge with an 83-72 victory on Senior Day at Rupp. Matthew Murrell made five threes and finished with a team-high 25 points, but it wasn’t enough to knock off the Cats, who were led by Oscar Tshiebwe with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

4. A few familiar names amid roster overhaul

Between transfers and freshmen, Ole Miss has eight newcomers this season. Four are freshmen and four are senior transfers, all forwards: Theo Akwuba, Myles Burns, Josh Mballa, and Jayveous McKinnis. Burns, formerly of Loyola New Orleans, is third in the SEC in total steals (46) and leads the team in rebounding (6.1 RPG). If that last number isn’t indicator enough, Kentucky should easily handle the Rebels inside.

In addition to Murrell, there’s another familiar name on Ole Miss’ roster. Mississippi native Jaemyn Brakefield is in his second season with the Rebels after transferring from Duke in 2021. The former four-star recruit out of Huntington Prep was once on Kentucky’s radar but the Cats never extended an offer. He averages 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

5. Kermit Davis on the hot seat?

As mentioned, all of the Rebels’ current streaks are bad ones. Is Davis on the hot seat in his fifth season? Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter told OM Spirit, On3’s Ole Miss site, that he’s going to let the season play out before considering a change. Right now, it seems like the writing is on the wall for Davis, but one obvious thing that could change that is a win over Kentucky.

A loss to Ole Miss would be another devastating hit to the Cats’ NCAA Tournament resume. They must take care of business tonight.