Jan. 19, 2000

LEXINGTON, Kty. (AP) – Kentucky looks for its eighth win in nine games when it tries to continueits mastery of Mississippi at Rupp Arena on Wednesday night.

The 23rd-ranked Wildcats (11-5, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) hold acommanding 43-2 series lead against the Rebels (12-5, 0-4) in games played atLexington.

Kentucky’s lone loss in its last eight games was a 66-63 setback tofourth-ranked Auburn on Jan. 11.

Kentucky easily rebounded from that loss with a 64-48 road win over SouthCarolina in its last outing on Saturday.

“I was really concerned about how we were going to respond” coach TubbySmith said. “But we do have players who have been in the program and know whatwe expect.”

Sophomore Tayshaun Prince leads the Wildcats with 14.4 points per game.Jamaal Magliore is the Wildcats’ only other double-figure scorer at 12.6 pointsand leads the team with 7.6 boards a game.

Good shooting, especially from 3-point range, has been a staple of theKentucky basketball program for over a decade, but Smith’s squad has beenunable to find the shooting touch this season.

Despite their recent surge, the Wildcats are shooting just 42.1 percent fromthe field and only 27 percent from behind the arc.

Ole Miss suffered its fourth straight conference loss 98-60 to Tennessee onSaturday. Senior forward Mark Hicks leads the Rebels with 14.2 points percontest.

The Wildcats hold an 85-10 lead in the series, which began in 1925.

The last time the Rebels visited Rupp Arena was Feb. 14, 1998, and Ole Misscame away with one of its biggest victories. The Rebels overcame an 11-pointhalftime deficit to record a 73-64 win.

The victory was Ole Miss’ first in Lexington since 1927. That loss wasKentucky’s final setback of the season before going on to win the 1998 NCAAtitle.