Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope has been on a heater when it comes to Southeastern Conference play. Pope now has won five straight SEC games, which is the longest SEC streak in his career, as the Wildcats turned back the Ole Miss Rebels 72-63 on Saturday.
Otega Oweh led all Kentucky scorers with 23 points, while Malachi Moreno topped the team’s rebounding totals with nine.
Kentucky, Mark Pope Stay Hot in SEC Play
The Wildcats were up 29-23 at halftime, and the Rebels couldn’t buy a 3-point basket in the first half. But that all changed in the second half, which helped Ole Miss tighten things up against Kentucky.
But the home team found a way to pull away and, eventually, secure the win. With the Wildcats up just 63-60 with less than a minute left, Collin Chandler hit a key 3-pointer. That put Kentucky up 66-60 at that point and, well, that was all she wrote for Ole Miss.
NAILS, @collinchand13r 😼
📺 – ESPN pic.twitter.com/otqON8MMjT
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) January 24, 2026
The win pushes Kentucky’s overall record to 14-6, 5-2 in SEC play. Ole Miss, under head coach Chris Beard, falls to 11-9 and 3-4. The Wildcats have now won 15 straight against the Rebels with home court advantage.
Even on a cold day in Lexington, Ky., Wildcats fans packed Rupp Arena, cheering on their team as the arena had 19,831 in attendance. Chandler added 12 points for the Wildcats in the win, and Jasper Johnson had 11 points off the bench.
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For the Rebels, AJ Storr led the way with 20 points off the bench for Beard. Malik Dia added 16 points as he started the game for Ole Miss. The Rebels shot 33% from beyond the arc, while Kentucky was only 30% in this clash. Overall, Kentucky shot 36% from the floor, while Ole Miss only connected on 32% of its shots.
Kentucky narrowly won the rebounding game, securing 45 total rebounds to Ole Miss’ 43. The Wildcats blocked seven shots against the Rebels; Ole Miss countered with just two. Ole Miss, though, owned the space in the paint. The Rebels, as a team, scored 22 while the Wildcats could muster just 16.
The Wildcats had the game’s largest lead at 10 points at one time. Ole Miss’ biggest lead at Rupp Arena was just four points.
Pope and the Wildcats, though, head out for two tough SEC games coming up next week. Kentucky will play at No. 15 Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, then travel to Arkansas for a clash with the No. 20-ranked Razorbacks. Pope going up against Arkansas head coach John Calipari will probably be some must-see men’s college basketball TV right there.
