Ole Miss Basketball: Rebels Hit The Road To Take On UGA
Ole Miss basketball is coming off a huge SEC opener against South Carolina in Oxford. Now they hit the road to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.
Coach Andy Kennedy believes Ole Miss basketball has gotten better defensively in the past two weeks. They have certainly shown improvement with a three game winning streak under their belts. However, the 8-5 Rebels will be travelling this week to Athens to take on a good Georgia Bulldogs team.
Over the next four games Ole Miss basketball will have Georgia on the road tomorrow before returning home to face State College this coming Saturday. The Rebels will then be back on the road at Auburn before returning to Oxford to host the Florida Gators.
Of course, these four games present a gauntlet for the Rebels and all will be huge match-ups for AK and his hoopsters. It’s easy to look ahead and try to count wins and losses but we need to get past Georgia first so lets scout the Bulldogs.
The Georgia Bulldogs
Ole Miss Rebels Basketball
The 9-3 Bulldogs are coming off a tough and heartbreaking 66-61 loss to Kentucky in their SEC opener. However they were playing the Wildcats in Lexington.
The Bulldogs have some huge wins over Marquette, Cal State Fullerton, Temple and Georgia Tech. Coached by Mark Fox Georgia is 6-0 when playing in Athens thus far this season.
Georgia is a soundly coached and hard-playing team and will be a very tough test for Ole Miss basketball. Of course, when you look at the stats which Georgia has, it’s easy to see why they have a 9-3 record.
In 12 games they have outscored opponents 883 to 808.They are averaging 73.6 points per game with a scoring margin of 6.3 points per game. They are mechanically sound on both sides of the ball and have a roster filled with very talented players.
A Look Ahead Against UGA
Of course, the first name which pops out on their roster is forward Yante Maten. He’s one of the best forwards on the floor in this game. At 6’8″ he averages the most time on court for any Bulldog at 32.3 minutes per game. Other Bulldogs who Rebels have to deal with are William Jackson II, Rayshaun Hammoneds, and Juwan Parker. This Bulldog team is loaded with stars who will match-up well against the Rebels and could be really good at home.
So how do Andy Kennedy and the Rebels handle playing on the road? Not so well up to this point. However, this Ole Miss basketball team has gotten better defensively. Of course, playing on the road in the SEC is never easy. Georgia has one of the top teams in the conference and will draw a rowdy crowd.
Going Blue-collar
We all know this Rebels basketball team knows what’s at stake within the conference season. I personally believe this team can get the road win if they play like they did against the Gamecocks. However, it’s going to be a brutal grind from here on out. According to OleMissSports.com coach Andy Kennedy believes this as well,
"“I think we’ve gotten better defensively in the last two weeks or so. I have a pretty clear understanding of our path to success. It’s not a huge road, but there is a path. It’s going to take a blue-collar approach. Our guys hopefully are starting to figure it out.” ~Coach Andy Kennedy"
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We don’t have wait long to see how the Rebels responds. Ole Miss basketball is on the road Wednesday evening in Stegeman Coliseum to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Tip off from Athens is set for 5:30 pm CT and will be televised on the SEC Network. Good luck AK and the Rebels. Hotty Toddy!