Kentucky basketball: Game preview, 3 keys vs Mississippi

By Drew Koch | Feb 28, 2018

MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 26: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts in the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

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LEXINGTON, KY – JANUARY 09: Hamidou Diallo /

1. Can Diallo have a repeat performance against Ole Miss

We’ve seen this before Big Blue Nation. Hamidou Diallo has a solid performance only to disappear in the following game. Diallo put up 13 against West Virginia, then followed it up with only 2 points against Vandy. A few weeks later Hami dropped 13 against Texas A&M, only to register 3 points in the Cats next game at Auburn.

BBN showed Hami some much needed love during Saturday’s win over Mizzou. Diallo hit 3 three-pointers and played one of his best all-around games since conference play began. The Wildcats NEED Diallo to play at that high level going into March.

But, it starts Wednesday night against Mississippi. The Cats don’t need Diallo to be Superman. They do, however, need him to be the Hamidou Diallo we all saw on Saturday against Missouri. Diallo was active on defense, he sprinted the floor in transition and he was knocking down open shots. Perhaps more so than that, he didn’t take bad shots. If Hami can avoid taking bad shots and let the game come to him, the points will come.

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