OXFORD, Miss. — Antonio Reeves carried the Cats to victory in Oxford, where Kentucky overcame Ole Miss, 75-66. UK's sixth man sank six three-pointers for 27 total points against the Rebels. Tuesday's victory was his fourth 20-point game as a Wildcat.
Other offensive leaders in the late-night matchup include Oscar Tshiebwe, who finished with a double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds) and Jacob Toppin (18 points and four assists).
After a hot start by the Rebels, Ole Miss went cold and the Cats fired off a 7-0 run to tie the game at 15 all. The first 20 minutes of game action featured seven ties and three lead changes, with both teams shooting exactly 44 percent from the floor at the break.
Injuries plagued both teams throughout the night. Kentucky was without Cason Wallace, who is dealing with a knee contusion, according to John Calipari. Meanwhile, Ole Miss was without two key players: Matthew Murrell, the team’s leading scorer, and Daeshun Ruffin, who had this message for Rebels fans before tipoff:
A message from @DaeshunRuffin pic.twitter.com/jTp3iqK8qs
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 1, 2023
With Wallace out, Wheeler returned to the starting lineup as Kentucky's point guard.
However, he missed the end of the first half with what appeared to be an ankle injury, but he returned to the game in the second half.
Sahvir Wheeler will return for the second half. Broadcasters say he is not 100% but will "give it a go" #BBN
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) February 1, 2023
Wheeler finished with four points, nine assists and one turnover in 33 minutes.
By the end of the night, Kentucky had stretched its lead to as many as 14 points. The Cats had the advantage for 29 of the game's 40 minutes. In addition to getting back into the win column, Kentucky also got back to its rebounding ways. After being out-hustled for boards against Kansas, the Cats secured 33 rebounds for nine second-chance points against the Rebels. They connected on 19 of their 23 free throw attempts for an 83 percent success rate at the charity stripe.
The win moved Kentucky to 15-7 overall and 6-3 in SEC play.
The Cats will return to Rupp Arena this weekend to play the Florida Gators Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. The program will retire the late Mike Pratt's jersey that day, to honor the UK Athletics Hall of Fame men’s basketball player and longtime UK Sports Network radio broadcaster.
