This is the official A Sea of Blue open game thread for the Kentucky Wildcats @ Ole Miss Rebels basketball game this evening at the Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Mississippi , January 27th @ 7:00 PM.
Particulars of this game are as follows:
- TV: ESPN
- Live stats
- Audio (Requires Microsoft Silverlight)
- Radio [no radio]
Yahoo! Audio - Game preview
Tonight, the newly-ranked Wildcats put their #24 ranking on the line against the Ole Miss Rebels at the Tad Pad in Oxford, Mississippi. Kentucky is coming off five straight victories in the SEC, and a 6-0 record with another road win, even over the unfortunate Rebels, is something very desirable.
Ole Miss is suffering through an injury horror. They have lost no less than five players, including star guard Chris Warren and most recently talented reserve guard Terrico White to a bone bruise suffered on Saturday. Zach Graham is playing through a partially-torn patella tendon as well.
Things Kentucky needs to do well to win:
- Attack the zone. Depleted Ole Miss figures to play a lot of zone tonight, and Kentucky must get the ball in the middle of it to open up cuts and kick-outs.
- Take advantage of Ole Miss' weakness on the boards. Offensive rebounds are a great way to increase offensive efficiency.
- Defend the three. There is one thing that Ole Miss can do, and that is shoot the ball from the outside.
Things that will make it hard for Kentucky to win:
- Take this game for granted. Ole Miss is down, but not out. They are capable of upsetting us at home.
Get impatient with the zone. Kentucky must stay patient. Shots will come if they run their offense correctly.
Get off to a slow start. Slow starts and success do not go together with this team.
The Rebels are down, but they will battle us tooth and nail, particularly at home. David Huertas is a good scoring guard who can easily put up 25+ points if he isn't given due respect. Ole Miss is a team that has defeated Arkansas before they underwent their current collapse, so they are more than capable of pulling the upset if the 'Cats don't bring their best.