Ole Miss Basketball: Rebels Hoops Host Miss State This Saturday
Ole Miss basketball will get their second consecutive game against Bulldogs from the SEC. This time the Rebels will be hosting the ones from State College.
Ole Miss basketball returns home to The Pavilion this coming Saturday to take on the Miss State Bulldogs. Of course, Ole Miss (8-6, 1-1) is coming off the road after a really rough-looking game against Georgia. On the other hand, Miss State is entering Oxford with a fairly impressive 13-1 record and an 78-75 SEC opening win over No.22 ranked Arkansas.
Of course, we all know when it comes to any of the ‘big three’ sports between Ole Miss and State you can throw the records out the window. The importance of this game is equal for both teams regardless of the records. This game, in basketball terms, in the State of Mississippi is the Egg Bowl on hardwood.
We can expect a rowdy crowd from both fan-bases and there will be heated exchanges by both sides in what we can expect to be a very physical game. It doesn’t matter which side your on you know this Ole Miss/State rivalry will not have cooled by this coming Saturday. Each team will play just as hard as the other trying to gain little more than a SEC win and braggin’ rights.
Beyond the opportunity to stick our chests out for a few more weeks there is a lot to be gained by both of these teams. Of course, Ole Miss desperately needs this win simply because its being played at home. This Ole Miss basketball team will need every win it can to get to that 20 win mark. Playing successfully at home is paramount for the Rebels. On the other hand, the Bulldogs need the win because they want to stay in the mix at the top of the SEC.
Don’t Be Fooled By Records
Ole Miss Rebels Football
In terms of records State College basketball has got a great team. They have already established quite a resume in the 2017-18 NCAA basketball season with wins over Dayton, Southern Miss and of course No.22 Arkansas. Their only loss is a 65-50 drumming by Cincinnati. So they must be really good right?
Don’t be fooled by the 13-1, 1-0 record at all. According RealTimeRPI.com, Miss State has an RPI ranking of 53 with a SOS ranking of 236. By contrast Ole Miss has a RPI ranking of 152 and a SOS ranking of 98. All the RPI and SOS really tell us is Miss State has indeed won more games than Ole Miss basketball but against a much weaker series of opponents.
Of course, ask any Mutt and they’ll tell you that they have the better team and RPI nor SOS means nothing at all. They’ll even tell you they already have the best team and they know it. Like I said earlier there are literally Mutt fans who believe they’ll be in the Final Four.
Certainties
One thing for sure is this really is a good State College basketball team. Without a doubt it is one of the best Ben Howland teams Adida$ can buy so far this season. Will MSU be able to steal a road win against the Rebels this Saturday? Well that remains to be seen, however we do know it will be a good game with plenty of offense. We also know it will be a very physical game with plenty of potential fireworks at both ends of the court.
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So get ready Rebels and Mutts, get your game face on and your favorite colored garb ready. The Egg Bowl of basketball will be this Saturday on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford. Tip-off from The Pavilion is set for 3:30pm CT and the game will be televised on the SEC Network. Hotty Toddy!