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One day after calling Kentucky’s defense “magnificent” and the reason why No. 1 UK had a chance to go unbeaten this year, Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy and his team almost spoiled the unbeaten streak.
Kentucky had to go to overtime to beat Mississippi 89-86 despite going 11-for-20 from 3-point range, making 28 free throws — six more than Ole Miss attempted — and jumping in front 12-0 to open the game.
“We never talked one time about beating the No. 1 team in the country,” said Kennedy. “We just wanted to compete and I felt we did that.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari was complimentary of Ole Miss.
“His team played out of their minds. We didn’t have the fight we needed. I thought Andy coached a great game,” Calipari said.
No team had scored over 70 points against UK until Tuesday night Southeastern Conference opener.
Kennedy said guard Stefan Moody was the X-factor for his team. He had 25 points and consistently beat UK guards. Kennedy said Moody was a little like former Ole Miss star Marshall Henderson — “thank God just a little bit,” Henderson said — with his ability to create and make shots.
“His quickness, I knew he was going to be able to manufacture shots because he’s so quick. Cal was extending the pressure, which really, really bothered us until we got it to Moody, and he got into the open floor and was able to get some things at the basket, and I think that settled us down a little bit,” Kennedy said. “n the second half, we just told them to drive pressure. Cal, their team really gets up in you physically and forces you to (go) off the bounce.
“I thought we did a better job in the second half of getting in that mid-range, especially Jarvis (Summers) and finishing because you have a hard time at the basket because they’re so long. I thought we were aggressive on both ends, bodies on bodies. We told them if we can win the rebound battle, we have a chance to win the war. We come up two short, but a one possession game really hurt us in overtime of getting second and third chance opportunities and that ended up being the deciding factor.”
Moody had cramps at the end of regulation and overtime and did not play, something Kennedy said limited Ole Miss’ options.
“He had to sit about three minutes (at the end of regulation). I think I guilted him back into playing, and he goes in and he plays,” Kennedy said. “When I’ve got him, Snoop (LaDarius White) and Jarvis, those are my guys, and we can do a number of different things, because they’re all capable of making the basket. You take one guy out of that equation, it changes things tremendously.”
However, what Ole Miss did was attack freshman point guard Tyler Ulis. Kennedy said the plan was to attack him because Ole Miss did have a size advantage on him and he’s just a freshman.
“We were trying to attack him, because that was the one player that we had a size advantage (over), and also because he’s young. They dig up in you,” Kenney said. We were trying to attack Ulis because of size, but probably more the main thing is because the fact that he is a freshman.”
Kennedy said the game should show his team it can play with anyone — Ole Miss lost three home games earlier this season — but he thinks the game will also help UK.
“I think Kentucky is fantastic and believe this will do them worlds of good beause I am sure now Cal has their full attetnion,” Kennedy said.
He said going undefeated for any team is “difficult” and this scare will show the Wildcats that SEC teams won’t roll over because of UK’s ranking.
“ I think it’ll also help Kentucky, because it’ll wake them up to the fact now we’re in league play and things change in league play,” the Ole Miss coach said.
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