By Nick Gray | Basketball beat writer

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One of the biggest stages in college basketball will host one of its most controversial characters in recent history.

The University of Mississippi will travel to Rupp Arena on Tuesday for the first time with junior guard Marshall Henderson, the SEC’s leading shot taker.

But two other challenges in the backcourt  — a teammate of Henderson’s and the Cats’ own defensive struggles — have recently floated to the surface.

Rebels junior guard Jarvis Summers has been more than complimentary alongside Henderson, ranking eighth in the SEC in points per game (17.8).

The 6-foot-3-inch junior struggled last season from the three-point line compared to his freshman year, but improved the rate by more than 20 percent this season through 21 games.

Summers averages fewer field goals per game than Henderson does three-point attempts (11.5 compared with Henderson’s 11.8 attempts), but prevails in shooting percentages across the board.

His effectiveness will test a UK defense that bled points in the second half of Saturday’s win over the University of Missouri. Missouri junior guards Jordan Clarkson and Jabari Brown pushed the tempo at will against the Cats as Missouri produced 13 transition points and 28 points in the paint in the second half.

“I think with a young group, guys have to understand the kind of commitment that you need to make in order to do the things that we want to do,” said UK assistant coach Orlando Antigua, who replaced Calipari at his media opportunity on Monday.

“The good thing is that they’re coming along. They’re getting better. It’s a commitment that they have to continue to make.”

The players attribute the struggles to effort, rather than talent.

“It has nothing to do with our talent, our skill or anything like that. It’s just being aware and just wanting to do it, and I feel like we can do that,” freshman guard Andrew Harrison said.

UK allowed more than 50 percent shooting in two games last week on the road, but scored more than 80 points in each game. Calipari has sprinkled in a zone defense, using it extensively in spurts in the first half at Missouri.

“We’ve been working on it a lot,” Antigua said, laughing. “That’s all I’ll give you.”

On Tuesday, the Cats will be at home against a team that ranks outside the top 250 in the country in field goal percentage (42.9 percent). Henderson (36.6 percent) and Summers (51.9 percent) are at opposite ends of the shooting efficiency spectrum, and both will test a UK defense still in the process of evaluation.

“It bothers us because that just makes us have to play even better offensively, which won’t happen every time. We have to stop people,” Harrison said.

“We do have what it takes to win.”