College Basketball
College Hoops Preview: #6 Kentucky at Ole Miss
- Matchup: #6 Kentucky Wildcats (24-5, 13-3 SEC) at Ole Miss Rebels (19-10, 9-7 SEC)
- Date: March 5th, 2019
- Time: 9:00 PM EST
- Network: ESPN
- Location: Oxford, Mississippi
- Venue: The Pavilion at Ole Miss
- Capacity: 9,500
Status of Reid Travis
Kentucky struggled against Tennessee over the weekend without the presence of senior Reid Travis. He was out for a third straight game with a sprained knee. The Kentucky staff has not announced Travis’s status for this week, which indicates that he could be a game-time decision to play tonight. However, with the SEC tournament coming up next week, expect Travis to rest or play very limited minutes. Kentucky will need him down the stretch if they have any hope of overtaking LSU and Tennessee for the SEC championship, so look for them to be very careful with him this week. The senior is the only upperclassmen on a very young Kentucky roster and will provide a much-needed veteran presence upon his return.
P.J. Washington and Nick Richards will be key
Washington and Richards are big-time rebounders for the Wildcats, averaging 7.7 and 6.9 boards per game respectively. Their presence inside will be a huge factor in tonight’s game against the guard-heavy lineup of Ole Miss. In fact, Terence Davis, a 6’4″ guard for the Rebels, is the leading rebounder for his side with 5.7 per game. Against the size of Kentucky, they will surely have trouble on the glass. Expect coach John Calipari to exploit this throughout the game by implementing big lineups and emphasizing post play on offense.
Ole Miss looks to pull off a big upset on senior night
As a current 10-seed in ESPN’s Bracketology projections, Ole Miss still has work to do in order to advance to the NCAA tournament. An upset of Kentucky will certainly give them a huge push towards that goal. Furthermore, as tonight is the final home game of the year for the Rebels, expect The Pavilion to be loud and at capacity. This will be a giant boost for Ole Miss, but this is a side that holds its own in the SEC regardless of home court advantage.
After a couple of close losses last week, including a controversial two-point loss against #5 Tennessee, Ole Miss will be hungry for an upset tonight. Led by upperclassmen guards Breein Tyree and Terence Davis, the Rebels play fast and can score in a hurry. They struggle at the defensive end, but if they can speed up the pace tonight, the game will turn in their favor.
Prediction
Ole Miss will come out with speed and pressure, but they won’t be able to match Kentucky’s size and athleticism. The Wildcats will control the boards and the pace, holding off a senior night upset. Look for Kentucky to get back on track tonight before their matchup with Florida on Saturday.
Kentucky – 76
Ole Miss – 68
Written by Andrew Mayor
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Photo Credit to @KentuckyMBB via Twitter
