Kentucky made only 37.5% from the field plus boxscore and other game notes

Go here for boxscore.

Team Records and Series Notes                                       

• Kentucky drops to 8-15 overall, 7-9 in the Southeastern Conference.
  • UK is assured of a losing record in league play for the first time since going 8-10 during the 1988-89 season.
  • Kentucky is now locked into the Thursday games (quarterfinals) in the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • The Wildcats finished the season 4-6 in true road games this season.
• Ole Miss is now 14-10 on the season, 9-8 in league play.
• Despite the loss, Kentucky leads the overall series 108-14, including 29-11 in games played in Oxford, Mississippi.
  • The loss snaps an 11-game UK winning streak in the series and a four-game winning streak at Ole Miss.
• Next up: Kentucky will conclude the 2020-21 regular season Saturday at noon in Rupp Arena vs. South Carolina. The game is a reschedule of the originally scheduled Dec. 29 matchup that was postposed due to a combination of positive tests, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within the South Carolina men’s basketball program.
  • UK will finish with 24 regular-season games. Matchups vs. Detroit Mercy, Texas A&M and Texas were canceled due to COVID issues.

Player Notes   

• Keion Brooks Jr. led the Wildcats with 16 points. After making just 6 of 21 shots over the previous three games, he made 8 of 14 on Tuesday.
  • He also paced UK with eight boards, the sixth time he’s led Kentucky in rebounding in his 14 games played this season.
• Olivier Sarr scored 15 points thanks to an 8-of-10 day at the free-throw line.
  • He has scored in double figures in seven of the last 10 games.
• Davion Mintz tied his career high with eight assists (previously done vs. Marquette on Jan. 21, 2017) to go along with 10 points.
  • He has scored in double figures in four straight games and is averaging 16 points during that stretch.
  • Mintz led UK in scoring in road games this season with a 12.7 average. He was the only Wildcat to average double figures in true road games this season.
• Isaiah Jackson reached double figures for the fifth straight game with 13 points and added three blocks but fouled out for the third time in six games.
  • He is averaging 14.6 points and 2.4 blocks over the last five games.

Coach John Calipari 

• Calipari is now 338-92 at UK.
• Calipari has a 783-232 all-time on-court record. 
• UK is 274-54 under Calipari against teams unranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
• Calipari is 16-5 in his career vs. Ole Miss.

Team Notes 

• After making 66 of 74 (89.2%) at the foul line over the last three games, UK made just 15 of 25 in this one, 60%
• On the plus side, Kentucky dished out 16 assists and only seven turnovers.
• Kentucky forced 17 turnovers, tied for its second most this season. In the previous two games with 17 or more opponent turnovers, UK won.
  • The Wildcats generated 19 points off those turnovers.
• The Wildcats made only 37.5% from the field. UK is 0-9 this season when failing to make at least 40% of their shots.
• Entering the game with a plus-3.0 rebounding margin, UK was outrebounded 42-28 and gave up 11 offensive rebounds.
  • The Wildcats fell to 2-6 this season when getting outrebounded.
  • The minus-14 rebounding margin was UK’s worst mark of the season.
• Ole Miss entered the game averaging 5.1 3-point field goals per game on 28.5% from long range. Against UK the Rebels made 8 of 13, 61.5%.
• UK fell to 1-14 this season when failing to score at least 76 points.

In the First Half 

• Kentucky started Devin Askew, Davion Mintz, Brandon Boston Jr., Isaiah Jackson and Olivier Sarr for the 10th time this season.
  • UK is now 4-6 with that starting five.
  • Keion Brooks Jr. was the first substitute at the 17:17 mark.
• Ole Miss opened the game with a 10-4 lead, but the Wildcats answered with a 7-2 run.
• The Wildcats went nearly six and a half minutes without making a field goal to fall behind nine and started just 5 of 23 from the floor overall.
• After that 5-for-23 start, Kentucky made its next eight shots.
• A 3-pointer by Boston at the 5:17 mark ended an 11-2 Ole Miss run to cut the UK deficit to 23-16 and was the Wildcats’ first field goal since a dunk by Jackson with 11:42 left in the half.
  • The Boston 3 was part of an 8-0 Kentucky run to pull withing 23-21.
• The Wildcats went into the halftime locker room down 32-29.
  • UK is now 3-9 when trailing at the half this season.
• Brooks broke out of a recent shooting slump by making 4 of 8 in the first half for eight points.
• Mintz dished out five assists in the first half, one off his season high (six vs. Georgia Tech).
• UK’s 29 points in the first half were its fewest before halftime since scoring 27 at Missouri on Feb. 3.

 In the Second Half 

• Kentucky started Mintz, Boston, Jacob Toppin, Jackson and Sarr.
• After falling behind by five to open the second half, UK went on an 8-0 run.
  • The Wildcats took their first lead of the game, 35-34, since 2-0 during the run on a circus 3-pointer by Mintz from four feet behind the arc as the shot clock expired.
• Kentucky took its biggest lead of the game at 46-40 on a 7-0 run.
• Ole Miss answered with a 13-4 spurt to take a 53-50 lead with 9:14 left. The Rebels would lead the rest of the way.
• Ole Miss led by as much as 65-57. UK hung close but didn’t make a field goal after Brooks’ layup with 3:30 left until a Brooks jumper with 16.8 seconds left.