Tonight, the Kentucky Wildcats head down to Oxford for a game with the Mississippi Rebels. Game particulars as follows:
| Gameday Information | |
|---|---|
| Game Notes | Kentucky Game Notes  | Ole Miss Game Notes |
| Date & Time | Tues., Feb. 1, 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Coverage | TV: ESPN2 & ESPNU Radio: BBSN GameTracker Online Audio Text Updates |
| Location | Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, Miss. |
This is another opportunity for the Wildcats to excel on the road, and although Ole Miss is 1-5 in SEC competition this year, road games in the SEC are always tough, especially when you (...ahem..) forget they are on the road as I did in the pregame. Some things get better with age, but short-term memory apparently isn't one of them. But I digress. More after the jump.
Keys to a Kentucky victory:
- Intensity, intensity, intensity.
- Offensive rebounding. The Rebels are not a particularly good offensive rebounding team, and the Tennessee Volunteers just murdered them on the glass.
- Toughness. If Kentucky gets pushed around in this game, I think you may hear some more colorful language from Calipari.
- Defend the three. Ole Miss takes a lot of three point shots, but they don't shoot them well when challenged. If UK can challenge every three, the Rebels will have trouble scoring.
Keys to an Ole Miss victory:
- Pound the interior. Ole Miss is more athletic than Kentucky inside (read: Harrellson), and if they can get him in foul trouble, it bodes well for the Rebels.
- Don't settle. Ole Miss settles for the three too quickly. They can't afford to do that against Kentucky.
- Rebound the ball offensively.
- Get to the line a lot. Not only does this put UK in foul trouble, but Ole Miss is a good FT shooting team.
This is another big test for Kentucky. They played well, particularly defensively, against the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road. Mississippi is not that much different. If they can bring that same intensity to Oxford, they can win this game. If not, it could be a long night as well as a red one.
Go, 'Cats.