Ole Miss' Leading Scorer Matthew Murrell Questionable to Play Against Kentucky
Kentucky is back on the road for its fifth road game in SEC play, traveling down to Oxford, Miss. to take on the scrambling Ole Miss Rebels.
The fifth season of the Kermit Davis era down on The Grove hasn't gone according to plan, as the Rebels hold a 9-12 record, including a horrid 1-7 record in SEC games, with the lone win coming against South Carolina.
Ole Miss is tied for dead last in the conference, along with SC, LSU and Mississippi State. It's lost nine of its last 10 games and is currently ranked No. 114 in the NET. In their eight SEC games, the Rebels are averaging just 63.75 points-per-game and have failed to eclipse the 60-point mark in seven games this season.
One consistent piece to Davis' offense has been junior guard Matthew Murrell. Averaging a team-high 14.9 PPG, the Memphis, Tenn. native has scored 20 or more points six times in the 2022-23 campaign. Big Blue Nation will remember him well, as he made nine shots — five from behind the 3-point line — in Lexington a season ago, scoring 25 in Ole Miss' 83-72 loss back on March 1, 2022.
In the aforementioned win over the Gamecocks, Murrell splashed home five 3-pointers, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
That win is the last full game that the guard has played, however. The following matchup against Arkansas on Jan. 21 saw Murrell go down with a knee injury in the second half. He would then miss the Rebels' next two games against Missouri and most recently at Oklahoma State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge over the weekend.
Coach Davis says that Murrell — who also adds 3.5 RPG and 2.5 assists-per-game — is a game-time decision to play on Tuesday night against the Wildcats, per CBS' Jon Rothstein:
Murrell isn't the only Rebel that's questionable to play, either. Sophomore point guard Daeshun Ruffin didn't make the trip to Stillwater to play against Oklahoma State due to a "coach's decision." Davis went on to expand that Ruffin was "going through things" and the team "thought it would be better for him to be at home."
Ruffin is the team's second-leading scorer at 9.5 PPG, though he's seen action in just 11 games this season. His 2021-22 season was ended due to a knee injury, which also kept him from making his 2022-23 season debut until Dec. 3. Against Missouri on Jan. 24, he logged a season-high 18 points and seven assists. His 3.2 APG leads the Rebels. There has been no official update on his status ahead of Tuesday night's game.
Kentucky leads the all-time series against Ole Miss 109-14 and has won 12 of the last 13 matchups. The latest loss for the Cats did come in Oxford on March 2, 2021. In fact, the last four times that the Rebels have defeated UK have all taken place inside the SJB Pavilion.
Combined, Murrell and Ruffin average 24.4 PPG, 5.7 APG and 4.6 RPG. It'll be tough sledding for the Rebels if neither guard is available to play against UK.
Wildcats Today will have updates and game coverage as Kentucky looks to rebound from its loss at home to Kansas over the weekend. Tipoff in Oxford is set for 9 p.m. EST and will air on ESPN.
More on how Kentucky stacks up with five weeks left in the regular season HERE.
More on Kentucky's loss to Kansas HERE.
Kentucky is leaving the KU loss with optimism. More HERE.
Everything John Calipari said after the defeat can be found HERE.
WATCH: Tshiebwe, Reeves and Toppin talk KU defeat.
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