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Jan 21, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) huddles up with teammates during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Preview: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Ole Miss Rebels

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Wyatt Huff | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The Kentucky Wildcats are once again going to be in Rupp Arena for an SEC clash on Saturday with the Ole Miss Rebels, as they are looking to extend their winning streak to five games, as well as avoid what would be a Quad 3 loss on their resume, which they can't afford to have at this point.

After three comeback wins, and one most-recently that did not feature a slow start, the WIldcats are looking to continue that momentum into Saturday's game. Last season against Ole Miss, Kentucky took a 14-point loss to the chin against a top-25 Rebel squad, a game where Travis Perry, who is now a Rebel, took over the starting point guard role with Lamont Butler injured, This season, Ole Miss is much different, as they lost a couple of key guards off of that team, and rely plenty on transfer AJ Storr, who actually takes the most shots of anyone in the SEC. The Rebels are one of the top teams in the entire country at taking care of the ball, ranking 38th in the country, and since SEC play, they are first in the conference in turnover percentage. This area will be tested on Saturday, as Kentucky is known to be aggressive on defense, but it's only a matter of if the Wildcats can stay aggressive often enough to really make an impact there.

As for areas of weakness, Ole Miss is one of the worst defenses through SEC play so far, especially as far as rebounding and free-throw defense goes. Since SEC play began, Ole Miss ranks 15th in the conference on the offensive glass and just 14th on the defensive end. Then, on free throws, the Rebels allow the most attempts to their opponents in the conference, similar to Texas. Let's take a look at how to watch Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.

How to watch Kentucky take on Ole Miss

The Wildcats will take on the Ole Miss Rebels at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday and fans can watch on ESPN. You may also listen to the game on the UK Sports Network.

Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Keys to victory for Kentucky against Ole Miss

Disrupt the Ole Miss offense

Ole Miss has one of the most efficient offenses in the country when it comes to not turning the ball over. The Rebels rank 38th in the country, and since SEC play, they are first in the conference in turnover percentage. If Kentucky can make the Ole Miss offense uncomfortable, there is not much Ole Miss can do in order to be able to score, especially an offense that features a player who takes the most shots in the SEC, AJ Storr, an offense that seems to rely heavily on one player. With how much Kentucky loves to get out in transition off of turnovers and missed shots, this area of the game could be very impactful.

Get to the free-throw line

Similar to Texas, the Ole Miss Rebels are one of the worst free-throw defenses in college basketball, allowing teams to get to the line very easily. Ole Miss ranks 266th in the country in free-throw rate defense. Since conference play, they have allowed the second-most free throws to opponents. Against Texas, the Kentucky Wildcats went 30-35 from the line, their season-high by far, and they could have a very similar result on Saturday against a vulnerable Ole Miss defense that ranks 15th in the SEC through six conference games.

This one is a must-win for Kentucky, not necessarily because of the opponent quality, but more so due to the fact that Ole Miss is a Quad 3 matchup for them, and they can't afford another bad loss at home on their resume as they look to stay in the NCAA Tournament projections.