LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Neither Kentucky nor Ole Miss is likely bound for the NCAA Tournament. Neither team is within sniffing distance of the top 40.
So, what was at stake when the Wildcats and the Rebels played Tuesday night in Oxford, Mississippi?
I came up with this: Ole Miss assured that it would finish with a better record in Southeastern Conference play than Kentucky for the first time since 1937.
You remember. The first year of Franklin Roosevelt's second presidential term. The year Daffy Duck debuted. Joe Louis won the heavyweight title. Amelia Earhart disappeared. The great flood overwhelmed Louisville.
The first set of standings posted in the SEC record book was for the 1932-33 season — when Kentucky won the title. In the first 87 seasons, Ole Miss finished ahead of Kentucky one time — the 1936-37 season. The Rebels went 7-3 in league play while UK was 5-3.
Make it twice.
Ole Miss dispatched Kentucky, 70-62, at The Pavilion. UK was out-rebounded by 14 and made only 38 percent of its shots.
"You've got guys who are trying to be too cute," UK coach John Calipari said. "I don't have an answer ... you get out-rebounded by 14, you're not winning. Go get the ball. Go get rebounds."
The Wildcats trailed, 56-54, with 7:49 remaining. Then, they missed their next four shots and went 4 minutes and 19 seconds without a basket, and Ole Miss surged to a 63-55 lead. UK made five field goals in the final 12½ minutes.
"They were more physical at the point of attack," said UK forward Keion Brooks. "It came down to us against them and they got the majority of them, if not all of them."
With the win, Ole Miss improved to 9-8 in the SEC and 14-10 overall. With the loss, Kentucky dropped to 7-9 in the SEC and 8-15 overall.
With only one SEC regular-season game remaining for each team, Ole Miss and coach Kermit Davis are guaranteed to finish with a better league record than John Calipari and Kentucky.
Keion Brooks led UK with 16 points, while Olivier Sarr scored 15. B.J. Boston struggled through an off night, making 1 of 9 shots.
"I don't have a magic wand," Calipari said. "If I had one, I'd use it."
Calipari said that he was disappointed by the way his team has played in back-to-back losses that followed a 3-game winning streak. He said too many players have reverted to what was "easier," and what "they wanted to do."
He said Kentucky could have won every SEC game this season, with the exception of the first game against Alabama, an 85-65 loss.
"Everybody we play, we can beat," he said. "And they can beat us."
The Wildcats will host South Carolina at noon Saturday in Rupp Arena before the the start of the SEC Tournament on March 10 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
UK will need to win 4 straight game in Nashville to return to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have not won 4 straight games all season.
"What gives me hope is I know our guys work hard every single day," Brooks said. "We've got to take it one day at a time."
The Gamecocks lost to Arkansas, 101-73, on Tuesday, slipping to 6-13 overall and 4-11 in the league. UK and South Carolina have not played this season.
"You've got to fight," Calipari said. "You've got to make it personal."
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