Antonio Reeves Continues Scoring Surge as Kentucky Earns 75-66 Win Over Ole Miss in Oxford

Desperation oozed from Kentucky as it took the court inside the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday night, as it was knotted up 32-32 with the peckish Ole Miss Rebels, who had lost nine of their last 10 games. 

The Wildcats entered the matchup directly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, unable to afford a loss to a team that entered the game ranked No. 114 in the NET with just one victory in SEC play. 

Up stepped shooting guard Antonio Reeves, who sparked Kentucky's offense with a season-high 27 points, pacing the undermanned Cats to a 75-66 victory, their third in a row away from home. 

Reeves connected on six 3-pointers, shooting 8-12 overall. It's the seventh straight game that the Illinois State transfer has scored 10 or more points, and the fifth time in the last eight games that the newfound primary scoring option has led UK (15-7, 6-3 SEC) in points. 

Forward Jacob Toppin continued to help on the offensive end, scoring 18 points while adding four rebounds and three assists. Center Oscar Tshiebwe earned the 41st double-double of his career, piling on 14 points and 11 rebounds. 

Every bucket was valuable, as the Wildcats entered the game without starting guard Cason Wallace. With less than an hour until tipoff, Wallace was ruled out due to a knee injury, which was later labeled a contusion by coach John Calipari. Wallace had previously suffered from back spasms, coming out after playing just eight minutes in UK's loss to South Carolina on Jan. 10, but Tuesday was the first time that the Wildcats had to play without the Dallas native in the starting five. 

"Thank goodness we have a 'next man up' mentality," Calipari said after the win. 

The loss of Wallace spelled disaster early for Kentucky, as a 7-0 run propelled the Rebels to a 15-8 lead. UK adjusted and went on a 14-2 run of its own, paced by Reeves' first three 3-pointers of the night. Ole Miss (9-13, 1-8) would go on a stretch in which it missed 13 of 14 shots, but the Cats were unable to build any solid lead in the half. 

Former starter and veteran facilitator Sahvir Wheeler was inserted back in the starting five as a result of Wallace's absence, looking to take advantage of his added minutes. He would battle through a rolled ankle that saw him exit to the locker room near the end of the first half, ultimately totaling 33 minutes, dishing out nine assists and just one turnover. He scored four points and collected four rebounds in the win. 

Wheeler now has 31 games at UK in which he's totaled six or more assists — the most by any player in the Calipari era, breaking a tie with Tyler Ulis, per UK Sports Network Statistician Corey Price. 

"Here's a young man that's playing for Kentucky, for the state, for the basketball program, not playing for himself or he wouldn't have played," Calipari said of Wheeler. 

After slugging through the first half and the beginning of the second, Reeves asserted his dominance, reigning down a trio of treys, while Tshiebwe and Toppin combined for 21 points in the back half, helping the Wildcats slowly yank the chain away from the spunky Rebels, who continued to keep the UK lead no larger than 14. 

Kentucky continued its improved free-throw shooting, going 19-23 from the charity stripe. It also re-found its groove on the glass, out-rebounding the Rebels 33-29. Amaree Abram led Ole Miss with 17 points, taking over for leading scorer Matthew Murrell, who was one of two Rebels that missed Tuesday night's contest. 

Shooting guard CJ Fredrick was again nullified for the Cats after scoring just two points over the weekend against Kansas. He attempted just two shots on Tuesday, failing to score while picking up three fouls and just one assist. Freshman forward Chris Livingston would foul out after adding a gritty six points and seven rebounds.

"How about Chris Livingston today? Chris Livingston was an absolute beast," Calipari said. "That's what we need him to be. I tried to tell him 'you're not Antonio. I know people want you to play like Antonio, you're not him. But guess what? Antonio can't do any of the things that you do. Be an all-star at what you do.'"

UK will return home to Rupp Arena, where it will host the Florida Gators for the first of two matchups down the final stretch of the regular season. Tipoff on Saturday, Feb. 4 is set for 8:30 p.m. EST

"It's way early. What we're trying to do is — one game, who's next, let's win the next game. That's all i'm worried about," Calipari said. "I don't even know the next game. I'm staying focused right where I am."

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