Ole Miss leading scorer Matthew Murrell questionable vs. Kentucky

Ole Miss is sputtering overall, sitting at just 9-12 on the year and an abysmal 1-7 in SEC play, the lone conference win coming vs. South Carolina. The Rebels have lost three straight and nine of their last 10, with their best win on the year coming vs. Stanford in November.

And with the Kentucky Wildcats coming to town on Tuesday, they may be without their best player for a third consecutive matchup. Matthew Murrell, the team’s leading scorer, suffered a knee injury at No. 25 Arkansas and missed Ole Miss’ matchups vs. Missouri and at Oklahoma State — both double-digit losses.

Now, Murrell remains day-to-day leading up to the head-to-head battle.

Ole Miss' Matthew Murrell (knee) is a game-time decision for today's game against Kentucky, per Kermit Davis. Averages 14.9 PPG. Has not played since 1/21.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 31, 2023

On the year, the 6-foot-4 junior out of Memphis is averaging a team-high 14.9 points to go with 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, all career-highs. He is, though, shooting just 39.1% from the field and 29.5% from three on the year to go with a career-high 2.0 turnovers per contest. No other player on the roster is scoring in double figures on the year.

Last season, Murrell scored an impressive 25 points on five 3-pointers to go with four assists and two rebounds in an 83-72 loss in Lexington. He’s only topped that point total once and tied it one other time in his career.

The struggles don’t end there. Ole Miss’ second leading scorer, Daeshun Ruffin, also missed the team’s loss at Oklahoma State due to a “coach’s decision.” Coach Kermit Davis told reporters after the game that the talented sophomore was “going through things” and needed to miss the trip to Stillwater.

“Daeshun is a McDonald’s All-American. He’s had an unbelievable amount of injuries. So it was a coach’s decision,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “We love Daeshun. He’s going through things and we thought it would be better for him to be at home. We’ll meet with him (Sunday). We love him dearly, pulling for him. Coming back from a hard injury, he’s not the same. It’s some things that I know we’re going to work through. We’ll keep loving on him and will hopefully get him back on the court soon.”

Ruffin is averaging 9.5 points on 36.7% shooting and 30% from three in just 11 games overall, getting a late start after suffering a season-ending knee injury to close out his freshman campaign in 2021-22 while also recently dealing with illness.

Freshman forward Malique Ewin has also been out since Jan. 10, dealing with off-court issues. The former four-star recruit is averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per contest. Certainly not a key contributor, but a scholarship body nonetheless.

No official updates on the trio of Rebels leading up to Tuesday night’s matchup, but something to keep an eye on as we inch closer to tip.

Without Murrell and/or Ruffin, Ole Miss could be at a major disadvantage with Kentucky in town.