Kentucky vs. Ole Miss game thread and pregame reading

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Kentucky vs. Ole Miss game thread and pregame reading

January 24, 2026

The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday in Lexington. Game time is set for 11:00 AM ET on ESPN.

The Cats are now 13-6 on the season after winning their fourth straight game on Wednesday night over the Texas Longhorns. The winning streak marks the longest SEC win streak of Mark Pope’s career thus far. Kentucky is now tied for second place in the SEC after a rocky start.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news on Wednesday night. Jayden Quaintance missed his fourth straight game due to knee swelling, and that’ll become five straight on Saturday. This saga isn’t close to being over.

Also, after already losing Jaland Lowe for the season due to a shoulder injury, Kam Williams broke his foot early in the second half on Wednesday. He’ll miss somewhere between 6-8 weeks at minimum, if he makes it back this season at all.

As for the Rebels, they’re 11-8 on the season, including 3-3 in conference. They did beat the Georgia Bulldogs, which is a good win in 2025, but the rest of the season has been a disappointment. Chris Beard’s squad has lost to the likes of Iowa, Utah, Miami, NC State, and Oklahoma.

Travis Perry’s return to Lexington after one season in the blue and white will likely be the most exciting story to come out of this one. The sophomore guard started off slow but has improved as the season wears on, averaging 5.2 points on 34.4% shooting overall and 33% from deep. He scored 14 points in a road win at Georgia and just went for 15 on 5/9 shooting (5/8 from deep) in a loss to Auburn. He’s fully capable of getting hot and keeping the Rebels in this if Kentucky isn’t ready for him.

Just keep winning.