Cats look to quiet Henderson, upset Ole Miss
Marshall Henderson will bury a deep three-pointer and let his shooting hand linger for a moment.
The Ole Miss guard will make a big play and bark at his defender. He'll play to the crowd and let all his emotions hang out.
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And you might think Kentucky coach John Calipari would worry about his young team keeping its cool when the Wildcats face the Rebels Tuesday night in Oxford, Miss..
That's the least of his worries.
"Oh, I'd like us to lose our composure," Calipari said. "That's what I'm looking for. Like, lose your composure. Get mad. Get angry. Be mad to be great."
The Wildcats (13-6, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) have been a little too cool for Calipari's tastes. Against No. 23 Ole Miss (17-2, 6-0), he'd like them to have a little of Henderson's fire.
And make no mistake, Henderson is a fiery guy.
The 6-foot-1 guard averages 19.2 points per game and ranks fifth nationally in three-pointers made at 3.9 per game.
He's not shy about shooting, nor humble about hitting. He's been known to taunt opposing fans - his interaction with Auburn fans after a win there on Saturday became the stuff of Internet legend - and engage in some trash talk with his opponents.
"We've had a number of conversations with Marshall, and I know it's difficult for people that just see him in brief periods to completely get him," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. "But I think the passion is coming from a good place."
Kennedy said he's "probably more concerned with his shot selection than maybe him popping him shirt here and there."
Henderson figures to be fired up Tuesday for a tilt with SEC basketball's most notable program. And the Wildcats know that slowing him is part of the uphill climb they face in getting their first win of the season against a ranked opponent.
"You just try to disrupt his game," freshman Alex Poythress said. "If he's having an off night, then (it's) going to be hard (for him) to get emotional and do stuff like that. So you just try to play defense on him and contain him."
Kentucky failed to contain Texas A&M's Elston Turner earlier this month, watching him score 40 points as the Aggies pulled off an upset win at Rupp Arena.
They'll try to do a better job with Henderson, but shutting him down isn't the only key to beating Ole Miss.
Henderson might get "special attention" from the UK defense, Calipari said, but "if you pay too much attention to him, all of the sudden two big guys get 20 and 20 and then you got no chance of beating them."
And Kentucky needs to beat them.
The Wildcats remain an NCAA Tournament bubble team. They're still looking for their first quality win of the season, and Ole Miss would qualify.
"It is an opportunity for us," Poythress said.
And for Ole Miss, which despite its fast start has only one signature win, a 64-49 rout of Missouri.
"It's big for us, but I think it's bigger for them cause they're the ones that's supposed to win," Kentucky guard Ryan Harrow said. "If we come out there and beat them, it will be a good thing for us. We've just got to be ready to play and be physical 'cause they're a big team."
Tad Smith Coliseum will be packed and rowdy as the Rebels look to build on their best-ever start in SEC play.
And if the adrenaline gets Henderson going, Calipari hopes his team has an answer.
"Be mad," Calipari said. "And if he talks to you, talk back to him. I mean, just be mad. Compete, fight, battle, toughness, swagger. It's hard to have a swagger when you're ducking and you're running."
Game/Series Information
Game Information
Site: Tad Smith Coliseum (8,867), Oxford, Miss.
TV: ESPN (Brad Nessler play-by play, Jimmy Dykes analyst, Shannon Spake sideline).
Radio: UK IMG Sports Network (Tom Leach play-by-play, Mike Pratt analyst); Sirius 93/XM 199.
Favorite: Ole Miss by 3
Series Information
Series record: Kentucky leads 99-13
At Oxford: Kentucky leads 27-10
Coaches' records: Calipari 7-4 vs. Ole Miss; Kennedy 2-6 vs. Kentucky
Last meeting: Kentucky 77, Ole Miss 62, Feb. 18, 2012, Lexington, Ky.
With his team trailing by two in the first half, Darius Miller threw down a thunderous dunk that sparked a 14-3 run, and the Wildcats marched on to their 50th consecutive home win. Doron Lamb scored 16 points, and Terrence Jones added 15 points and 11 rebounds for UK, which also got double-figure scoring from Miller (14 points), Kyle Wiltjer (13) and Anthony Davis (10). Terrance Henry had 18 points and Murphy Holloway 15 points and six rebounds for Ole Miss.
Keys to the Game
1. Under the Radar: Because of Marshall Henderson's production - and his antics - some other Ole Miss players have been somewhat overlooked. That includes senior Murphy Holloway, perhaps the Rebels' most versatile player. Holloway averages 14.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Henderson's rebounding average leads the SEC and is 13th nationally, and his 941career rebounds are second in Ole Miss history.
2. History Repeats?: If past pattern is precedent, Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy is due for a win against Kentucky. Kennedy is 2-6 in his career against the Wildcats, but the games have followed a regular routine: two losses, followed by a win. Kennedy lost his first two games against Kentucky, then got a win. He lost two straight again, then won another. Currently, Kennedy has lost two straight to UK.
3. Defensive Rebels: Ole Miss has no shortage of scorers, but the Rebels have build a 17-2 record in large part with their defense. Opponents shoot 38.6 percent against Ole Miss this season. That's the third-best field-goal percentage defense in the SEC and ranks 33rd in the nation. The Rebels are even better against the three-point shot. Ole Miss leads the nation and is seventh nationally, holding opponents to 27.5 percent shooting from behind the three-point line. And Ole Miss forces an average of 17.1 turnovers per game. The Rebels rank second in the SEC and fifth in the nation in turnover margin at +5.2.