Kentucky (21-9, 10-7 SEC) has now won four in a row after having lost four straight for the first time during coach John Calipari's nine seasons in Lexington.

Despite occasional challenges from Ole Miss, Kentucky was in control throughout. The Wildcats owned an eight-point lead at halftime and eventually led by 20 before finishing with the final 18-point margin.

Kentucky was led by Kevin Knox with 22 points. Quade Green added 18, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 17; Wenyen Gabriel, 15; and PJ Washington scored 10. Jarred Vanderbilt had 11 rebounds.

For the game, the Wildcats shot 50 percent, including 44.4 percent from 3-point range. UK had 43 rebounds, 19 assists and 12 turnovers.

By contrast, the season for Ole Miss (12-18, 5-12) has been spiraling with losses in nine of its last 10 games. Coach Andy Kennedy, who had previously announced he would leave at the end of the season, resigned immediately when the losing streak reached seven in a row on Feb. 17. Tony Madlock, an assistant to Kennedy the last four seasons, has been acting head coach for three games.

The Rebels got 26 points from junior guard Terence Davis. Breein Tyree and Bruce Stevens added 13 each.

For the game, Ole Miss shot 40.5 percent.

The first half was a high-scoring affair, with Kentucky finishing with a 50-42 lead.

Three players were already in double figures as Knox had 13, Gabriel, 12; and Gilgeous-Alexander, 11. UK shot 45.7 percent.

Davis topped Ole Miss with 16 points. The Rebels shot 40.5 percent.

In the first half, senior Marcanvis Hymon picked up two technical fouls and was ejected after just two minutes of total play for him.

Kentucky closes the regular season Saturday at Florida. UK cannot win the SEC regular-season crown, but the Wildcats are still vying to finish in the top four and secure one of four double byes for the league tournament next week in St. Louis. Teams with a double bye do not play until Friday and need to win only three games to claim the championship.

Ole Miss meets Vanderbilt in Oxford on Saturday night in a battle of the two worst teams in the SEC. Both are guaranteed to have to play Wednesday in the SEC Tournament, meaning they would need five wins in five days to secure the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

--Field Level Media