Ole Miss Hoops: Rebels Appear NIT-Bound After Loss To Alabama
They had a shot at the NCAA Tournament going into Wednesday night’s game. But after the 70-55 loss to Alabama, the Rebels appear to be NIT-bound.
The Rebels were close at the half, only down 29-25. However, the deficit grew quickly behind Bama’s freshmen duo of Dazon Ingram and Braxton Key who combined for 41 points.
Meanwhile, our leading duo, Terrence Davis and Deandre Burnett, combined to go 4-17 from the floor. Burnett was especially ineffective, scoring only 2 points.
Is Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy On The Hot Seat?
To borrow a quote of AK’s from just a few weeks ago, the Rebels were “awfully soft” last night. While I personally think it would be crazy to think of firing AK, some Rebel fans disagree.
Hopefully, cool heads prevail and AK has an opportunity to come back for another year. While the Rebels have not made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2001, they’ve been remarkably consistent.
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At a minimum, AK should be given another year with Breein Tyree, Davis and Burnett. While they’ve been inconsistent at times, the trio represents a strong returning core for the Rebels. In fact, Ole Miss should project to reach the NCAA Tournament – an improvement from this past preseason.
Rebels Postseason Outlook – NIT
With that being said, barring an SEC Tournament title, the Rebels appear to be NIT-Bound. At least we won’t have to sweat out Selection Sunday. Not to trigger any nightmares, but we may have to see Valparaiso again.
ole miss gets valpo in the first round of latest NIT projection here. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG https://t.co/jxT5HGdu7j
— Jim Lohmar (@jimlohmar) March 1, 2017
At least, Bryce Drew is no longer at Valpo and is roaming the sidelines at Vandy instead.
On the bright side, the Rebels only graduate two regulars in Rasheed Brooks and Sebastian Saiz. So, the more practice and game experience that Tyree, Burnett and Davis get together should bode well for 2017-18.
In any event, the Rebels will have another opportunity to snare their 10th SEC win on the year Saturday, when we take on South Carolina. After that, the Rebels head to Nashville for the SEC Tournament in do-or-die mode.