Ole Miss Basketball: Rebels Hoops Back Home To Face No.11 Auburn
Ole Miss basketball is coming back home to The Pavilion in Oxford to host the No.11 ranked SEC leading Auburn Tigers and will have their hands full.
Coming off the road from a 13 point loss to Texas Ole Miss basketball has their backs against the wall. With only ten games left in the regular season the Rebels need to win. It sounds easy enough with 5 of those games being at home. However, the Rebels have to start the ten game stretch with the best team in the SEC coming to Oxford.
Coach Andy Kennedy and the Rebels (11-10, 4-4) have their work cut out for them. Auburn (19-2, 7-1) is coming into Oxford off a 25 point blowout of LSU and are on a 3-game win streak. Their last loss was a 71-76 decision on the road at Alabama. The Tigers only other loss was in the third game of the season to Temple.
Auburn is a well-coached and very talented basketball team who is on a hard roll through a tough schedule. Of course, coach Andy Kennedy and the Rebels already know this. In their last meeting three weeks ago the Tigers ran thru the Rebels down on the plains in a 85-70 blowout. However, we know Ole Miss is not a very good road team. Let’s take a quick look at No.11 Auburn.
Scouting The Tigers
Ole Miss Rebels Basketball
Coach Bruce Pearl has put together the makings of a team with legit tourney championship potential. This Auburn Tigers team is solid on both ends of the hardwood and can play with anybody. They are a fast team who can score from anywhere on the floor and score in bunches.
Despite some basketball pundits questioning the Tigers SOS they are 19-2 with key SEC wins over ranked Tennessee and Arkansas. Since their last loss which was to Bama on the road they have blown out Georgia, Missouri and LSU all by 14 or better.
Auburn is loaded with very talented players who can handle the ball well and shoot but are also very smart and make good decisions. Junior guard Bryce Brown leads the Tigers in scoring per game averaging 16.3 a game. Mustapha Heron averages 15.3 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and leads the team in steals with 1.4 per game.
Junior forward Desean Murray averages 11.4 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 7.0 per game. Guard Jared Harper leads Auburn in assists with 5.4 per game while still averaging 12.8 points and 2.2 boards per game. Once again, this team is very talented on both ends of the court.
What To Expect
This is where it really becomes difficult if you’re a Ole Miss basketball fan. Of course, we know what to expect from Auburn. The Tigers will try to run the court and create chaos for the Ole Miss defense. We can expect a very physical game from the No.11 Auburn Tigers and we can definitely expect the Tigers to be on point. Lately Auburn has been a basket factory and I’m sure that aspect of this team continues against the Rebels.
When it comes to Ole Miss basketball, this season has been like a box of chocolates. So far, we’ve failed to see a consistent Rebels team from one game to the next. Of course, the Rebels know how to win games because we’ve seen them do it. However, we’ve also seen them tank in games as well.
The Rebels will have to play a clean game to have a chance at a win Tuesday night. The Rebels have to eliminate turnovers, play solid defense and make good shot selections to be successful against Auburn. Naturally, we can expect big performances from Deandre Burnett and Terence Davis.
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Tip-off tomorrow night from The Pavilion in Oxford is set for 8pm CT as Ole Miss basketball hosts the No.11 Auburn Tigers. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. Of course, good luck to coach Andy Kennedy and the Rebels. Hotty Toddy!