Reb scare: Cats escape with OT win
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The top-ranked University of Kentucky basketball team couldn't have looked sharper coming out of a nine-day layoff on Tuesday night against Ole Miss – for about four minutes. After an opening blitz, in which the Wildcats scored the game's first dozen points and built an 18-5 lead, the Rebels turned it into a shootout to survive instead of another romp in which to revel.
Stefan Moody and Ole Miss found another gear, roared back, blew by the Cats and led at halftime – and in the final 30 seconds of regulation. The Rebels made the home team work harder than expected, but Andrew Harrison sent the game to overtime and twin Aaron outdueled Moody and UK escaped with an 89-86 win at Rupp Arena to remain undefeated.
"Every game is going to be this way. Every team is going to come after them," coach John Calipari said, turning his attention to this weekend's road trip to Texas A&M. "They're having parties down there waiting for us."
Just one game into its Southeastern Conference schedule, the air of invincibility around this team, which had won its first 13 games by an average of 27.5 points and was a 22-point Las Vegas favorite against Ole Miss, took a hit. Any ideas about these Cats (14-0, 1-0 SEC) cruising through the conference – treating their SEC mates as mere speed bumps on a road to history – are out the window.
"I think a speed bump would be an improvement over how people have talked about us," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. "The Southeastern Conference, I know the dialogue has already started about how bad it is, but the reality is the numbers don't say that. The numbers don't back up the rhetoric."
And the Rebels didn't bow to the hype. Kentucky blew a five-point lead in the final four minutes of regulation, largely because it hit just 3 of 8 free throws in that span, and needed Andrew Harrison's steal and a free throw to tie it with 25.5 seconds left. He wasn't surprised it took that.
Were the Wildcats such heavy underdogs to a team, "I'm coming to kill 'em," said Harrison, who finished with 12 points, five assists, two steals and only one turnover. "That's what we've got to expect. I think naturally if anyone's the No. 1 team in the country or a lot of people say they're unbeatable, it just fuels a fire if you're a competitor."
Jarvis Summers, who scored 23 points, missed a potential game-winner for the Rebels at the end of regulation and Aaron Harrison's two free throws with 1:29 to go in overtime gave the Wildcats the lead for good.
Harrison had to pour in 26 points, hitting 5 of 9 3-pointers, to offset Moody's 25 points and 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. And still, it was just enough. Ole Miss (9-5, 0-1) led by three with 7:16 to go in regulation.
All that drama after Kentucky appeared to be thundering out of its holiday break, hitting its first five 3-point tries, including three by Aaron Harrison. He and freshman center Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 16 points in the first 3:31 to give the Cats a 13-point lead.
Ole Miss steadied itself just as swiftly, though, mounting a 10-0 run in only 85 seconds, capped by Moody's second 3-pointer, slicing the deficit to three with 14:30 remaining in the first half. Kentucky stretched the lead back to eight, but the Rebels surged again.
After starting 9 of 12 from the field, the Cats missed their next 13 shots. Ole Miss started 2 of 6 but hit 13 of its next 20 shots, outscoring UK by 19 points in 13 minutes, to take a 36-30 lead with 3:30 to go in the half.
Junior center Willie Cauley-Stein said it came as a bit of a shock to the Cats' freshmen.
"They're really good players, so they're going to have a little arrogance, like, 'Nah, they're not better than me,' " said Cauley-Stein, who had seven points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. "Well, you gotta play a game that dudes are not handing you nothing, dudes are not just gonna let you win, so you gotta take it from them."
The deficit was two at the break. Even when the Wildcats opened the second half on a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead – using a lineup of Ulis, Devin Booker, Aaron Harrison, Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson – the visitors didn't wilt.
Harrison's 3-pointer with 16:26 remaining put the Cats up 51-45, but Moody and the Rebels kept firing. His floater off the glass tied it with 6:20 remaining, and only late-game cramps could sideline him. Lucky for Kentucky, they did.
"If Moody doesn't cramp up," Calipari said, "we probably lose the game."
Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.
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