Basketball Postgame Notes: Kentucky 75, Ole Miss 63

[Jeff Drummond]

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY
FEB. 13, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 20,064

Final Score: No. 22/20 Kentucky 75, RV Ole Miss 63

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 17-7 on the season, 7-4 in the Southeastern Conference.
• Ole Miss is 18-6 overall, 5-6 in league play.
• Kentucky leads the series, 111-14 and has won the last three.
  • UK leads 57-2 in games played in Lexington, including the last 14 in a row.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats embark on a two-game road swing, beginning Saturday at Auburn. Game time is 6 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Central in Auburn), televised by ESPN.

Team Notes

• Kentucky is 6-1 this season in bounce-back games after losses.
• Kentucky limited Ole Miss to 63 points. UK is now 218-10 (95.6%) under Coach John Calipari when keeping the opponent to 63 or fewer, including 4-0 this season.
• Kentucky held Ole Miss to 0.86 points per possession. UK is 7-0 this season when keeping the opponent at 1.00 points per possession or less.
• Kentucky held Ole Miss to 37.5% from the field, 24 of 64. UK is 239-24 (90.9%) under Calipari when keeping the opponent to 40 percent or less from the field.
• Kentucky won the rebounding, 37-34. UK is 11-0 this season when winning the rebounding.
• Kentucky blocked 12 shots today. UK entered the game fourth in the nation in blocks at 6.1 per game.
  • Since the North Carolina game on Dec. 16 – the first game that UK had at least two seven-foot players available – the Wildcats have averaged 7.3 rejections per game. UK averaged 4.8 blocks per game prior to having two seven-footers available.
• Kentucky shot 51.9% from the field, 28 of 54. The Wildcats are 11-0 this season shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
• Kentucky led by as many as 17 points. UK is 344-16 (95.6%) under Coach John Calipari when leading by at least 10 points during the game.
• This was the first game this season that Kentucky had all players available.
  • Going into tonight, eight players had missed a total of 48 games because of injury, illness or other factors. Among regular players, Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard and Jordan Burks are the only ones who have been available every game.

Player Notes

• Ugonna Onyenso tied a Rupp Arena record by blocking 10 shots. He shares the mark with David Robinson of Navy, who had 10 rejections on Jan. 25, 1987.
  • Onyenso also had eight points tonight, making all three of his field goal attempts.
• For the first time this season, Antonio Reeves led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding in the same game.
  • He led UK with 15 points and has landed in double figures in every game but one this season. He also led the team in rebounds with seven.
• Reed Sheppard had 13 points, his 17th double-figure tally of the season, and paced the Wildcats in assists with five.
  • Sheppard, the SEC leader in steals, had a career-high-tying five steals and has had at least two thefts in 19 of 24 games.
  • It is the 13th time since 1996-97 that UK had a player with at least 13 points, five assists and five steals in the same game.
• Justin Edwards had 12 points, his ninth double-figure effort of the season.
• Robert Dillingham had 10 points, his 19th double-figure game of the season. He added four rebounds and four assists.
• After missing two games, Tre Mitchell returned to action. However, he departed at the 16:13 mark of the second half with an injured left shoulder and did not re-enter. He notched five points and six rebounds in his 21 minutes on the court.

Coach John Calipari

• Calipari has an 849-260 (76.6%) all-time on-court record, including 404-120 (77.1%) at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 333-69 (82.8%) against unranked opponents while at Kentucky.
• Calipari is 400-130 (75.5%) in conference games during his career, including 193-64 (75.1%) in the SEC.
• Calipari is 19-5 vs. Ole Miss.

In the First Half

• Kentucky started D.J. Wagner, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards, Tre Mitchell and Ugonna Onyenso for the first time. It is the sixth time in the last seven games that UK has started a first-time lineup.
• Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard were UK’s first substitutions at the 16:53 mark.
• Trailing 23-18, UK had a 10-0 splash for a 28-23 lead and never trailed again.
• UK later added an 8-0 spurt to make it 38-27.
• All totaled, after trailing 23-18, UK ended the half on 25-6 run to take a 43-29 tally into intermission.
• UK is 15-2 this season when leading at halftime.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup.
• Ole Miss opened with an 8-2 run, closing to 45-37 and coaxing a UK timeout at 17:27.
• The Rebels closed within 47-41 but the Wildcats responded with a 15-4 surge for the game’s largest cushion at 62-45 with 9:38 remaining.