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Ole Miss Basketball: NCAA Tournament Proving Rebels Deserved a Bid

By K. L. Williams

Feb 18, 2017; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Ole Miss Rebels guard Deandre Burnett (1) dribbles the ball as guard Terence Davis (3) looks on in the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas defeated Mississippi 98-80. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2017; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Ole Miss Rebels guard Deandre Burnett (1) dribbles the ball as guard Terence Davis (3) looks on in the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas defeated Mississippi 98-80. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 14, 2017; Dayton, OH, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Kamau Stokes (3) defends Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Keyshawn Woods (1) in the first half in the first four of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2017; Dayton, OH, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Kamau Stokes (3) defends Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Keyshawn Woods (1) in the first half in the first four of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Who Would Be Replaced?

Ole Miss would have beaten several of these at-large teams. However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t deserve to be there as well. When this Ole Miss team is playing well, they can be a problem to the majority of the teams in the country. Two teams, which could have been replaced by the Rebels, played each other during the ‘First Four’ games of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night.

Wake Forest was one of those ACC teams which snagged an at-large bid. However, watching them play made me question their qualifications. The Demon Deacons had a poor showing in the ACC Tournament. Consequently, it led to a poor showing in the NCAA Tournament. Plus, I refuse to believe 10th place in the ACC is better than 5th place in the SEC.

Ole Miss Basketball Is Better

Kansas State didn’t even finish over .500 in their conference. However, the Wildcats had a better showing in their respective conference tournament than Wake Forest. They at least got to the Big 12’s version of the final four. However, their play in the NCAA Tournament was a less than stellar. They eked out a victory over Wake Forest. Next they lose to Cincinnati by 14.

There was nothing seen in the games of these two teams, which would lead me to believe they were better than the Rebels. In fact, I believe Andy Kennedy and the boys would beat both of them. Especially with Ole Miss shooting the way they shot against Syracuse.

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