Ole Miss basketball took on the VT Hokies today from The Pavilion at Oxford Mississippi. Rebels hoops fans hoped for the best and discovered another let down in overtime.
Rebels hoops fans were excited as Ole Miss basketball jumped out to a sudden lead in the game against the Hokies. The atmosphere as electric and the Rebels were playing with the sense of urgency which coach Andy Kennedy had spoken about.
However, despite jumping out to a strong 16 point lead the Rebels faltered and allowed the Hokies back into the game late and force overtime. The Rebels managed to keep the game close but fell 83-80 for their second straight overtime loss and the third loss on the season. Now the Rebels sit at 4-3 and have some issues to iron out. According to OleMissSports.com
"The Hokies came into the game leading college basketball in field goal percentage and were second in the country in scoring offense and assists. ~OleMissSports.com"
This will be ok Rebels hoops fans. This team played one of the statistically best teams in the nation to overtime. I’m not one for moral victories. Of course, the Rebels should have won this game. They are young and developing. This team will be much better the more they play together. We all know AK only coaches up the talent he has and this is a very talented Ole Miss basketball team. Just give them a few more games together and I believe they’ll click. For now let’s take a look at the game by the numbers.
Rebels As A Team
Ole Miss Rebels Basketball
Like I always say, “There is really only one number which really matters!” It’s the final score. However, when you look at the game by the numbers you can see the difference which either wins or loses the game.
In the game against the Hokies, the Rebels controlled the momentum for over 3/4 of the game. The Rebels should have won, but they didn’t. When you look at the total team stats for each team you can what cost Ole Miss the game.
As a team Ole Miss was beaten on every level. From the field Ole Miss hit 29 of 73 shots, a meager 39.7%. Of course, it doesn’t look good at all when compared to VT who shot 25 of 57 or 43.9%.
Trust me, it doesn’t get any better when you look at what the Rebels shot from the free throw line. The Rebels were only 13 of 24 or 54.2% compared to VT who went 26 of 37 for 70.3%. This is unacceptable on any AK team who have always been known for their penalty stripe shooting.
Even though the Rebels were hot from deep during the first half they cooled off. At the 3-point line the Rebels went 9-31. You don’t win games making bad shots and the Rebels took some bad ones late. Just being honest here.
Individual Rebels Stats
Breein Tyree and Terrence Davis both led the Rebels in scoring with 17 points each against the VT defense. Tyree had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block and 1 steal while Davis had 7 rebounds with 5 assists and 2 blocked shots. Markell Crawford went for 13 points with 4 rebounds while Deandre Burnett scored 11 points with 7 assists.
Bruce Stevens had 7 points and 1 blocked shot while Devontae Shuler had 6 points, 4 rebounds and a steal. Marcanvis Hymon had 5 points while snagging 3 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Justas Furmanavicius and Dominik Olejniczak each had 2 points and 3 rounds. Furmanavicius also had a blocked shot in the game. Hymon and Olejniczak both fouled out early in the second half.
Next: Greatest Moments Under AK!
Up Next For Rebels
The Rebels will be off for a week as they are set to travel of Murfreeboro, Tennessee to take on Middle Tennessee State this coming Saturday. Tip off is set for 5pm CT. Hotty Toddy!