The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
9-4 0-1SEC
Kentucky
11-2 1-0SEC
Rebels Fall At Home To No. 8 Wildcats
12/29/2016 | Men's Basketball
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OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Senior Sebastian Saiz posted his fourth straight double-double with 23 points and 13 boards, but Ole Miss dropped its SEC opener 99-76 to No. 8 Kentucky Thursday night.
Sebastian led the Rebels (9-4) while Deandre Burnett scored 19 points and Rasheed Brooks added 15.
Isaiah Briscoe added 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (11-2), who led 60-41 at halftime. Edrice Adebayo scored 25 points for the Wilcats.
"The tone of the game was set by their speed in the open floor," said Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy. "They were just running by us in transition, and then, we just lost composure. Maybe the game was too big. Maybe we had some guys who were just not ready for a game like this. Every team has a formula for success. Kentucky has one. We have one. We didn't follow our formula very well and as a result we dug an early hole and started playing desperate basketball. That's too good of a team to play desperate against."
Malik Monk finished 11 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds and three steals. Adebayo was 12 of 19 from the field and blocked three shots.
The Rebels got strong performances from Saiz and Burnett, but Ole Miss struggled with the on-ball perimeter pressure from Kentucky's defense.
The schedule does not get easier, with three of the next four games on the road. Ole Miss visits No. 25 Florida on Tuesday.
