Ole Miss Basketball: Rebels Hoops Fall At Home Against No.11 Auburn
Ole Miss basketball really needed a big home win against the No.11 ranked Auburn Tigers but instead found their second consecutive loss.
Ole Miss basketball (11-11, 4-5) was returning home from an ugly road loss at Texas and needed a win. With ten games left in the regular season coach Andy Kennedy was running out of time to make a run. Of course, the Rebels had to host the SEC-leading No.11 ranked Auburn Tigers (20-2, 8-1). We knew the Tigers would be a tough game and it lived up to expectations.
Though the pace of the game was somewhat lethargic in the beginning Ole Miss did jump out to a narrow lead during the first half. The Rebels played a hard physical first half and kept Auburn off rhythm a good bit. However Auburn worked the paint and the Ole Miss defense found foul trouble early. The Tigers managed to take 38-36 lead into the break.
The second half was all Auburn as the Rebels steadily watched the Tiger lead increase. Bryce Brown was deadly from the field for Auburn and had 19 of his 23 points in the second half. The Rebels were down by double digits late but did manage to close the final margin to a 9 point deficit. Ole Miss dropped the home contest 79-70.
Auburn is ranked No.11 for a reason. They are a solid 40 minute basketball team who gets better as the game progresses. Auburn played with a noticeable intensity and consistency which Ole Miss couldn’t match after the break. Of course, that is reflected in the final score. Let’s take a look at the stats from the game.
Team Numbers
Ole Miss Rebels Basketball
Consistency was a problem for the Rebels in the second half and it shows in the stat-line. Of course, looking back over the past 22 games we’ve seen the roller-coaster numbers for the Rebels. One game the numbers will look really good and the next not so much.
The Rebels were 25 of 61 from the field from 41.0% while Auburn took more shots going 26 of 67 for 38.8%. The Rebels did put the ball on the floor more and had 17 turnovers which significantly affected their overall shot total.
Of course, the Rebels took fewer shots from the 3-point line as well. The Rebels hit only 5 of 21 shots from the arc for 23.8% while the Tigers shot 9 of 28 for 32.1% from long-range. We continue to see poor shot decisions with the deep ball. Of course, there are nights when the ball doesn’t want to drop and last night was rough for the Rebels.
Things didn’t look much better from the charity stripe for the Rebels. Ole Miss shot 15 of 20 for 75% from the line while Auburn went 18 of 26 for 69.2%. The Rebels were out-rebounded on the offensive glass and Auburn forced 17 Rebels turnovers in the game.
Individual Rebels Numbers
Once again Deandre Burnett led all Rebels scorers in the game. Burnett struggled early but did finish with 16 points. Burnett also had 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Besides Burnett there were three other Rebels who had double-digit scoring. Markel Crawford, Devontae Shuler and Terence Davis all finished with 11 points each. Crawford also had 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Shuler had 8 boards and 2 takeaways while Davis added 4 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and 1 steal.
Other Rebels producing buckets in the game were Dominik Olejniczak and Breein Tyree. Olejniczak had 7 points while also pulling down 4 boards. Tyree added 6 points while getting 3 rebounds, 1 assists and 1 blocked shot. Marcanvis Hymon added a 4 point effort with 1 rebound and 1 blocked shot. Justas Furmanavicius also added 4 points while getting 8 boards, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Against Auburn the Rebels got off to a slow start and fell into foul trouble early which forced line-up changes. Once again we saw pressure mistakes from the Rebels. Turnovers were a significant problem last night. Until we see a solid and consistent Ole Miss basketball team on both ends of the court we will see more games like this one.
Up Next
Unfortunately it still doesn’t get any easier for Ole Miss basketball as they have to play on the road. The Rebels will travel this Saturday to Knoxville to take on the No.18 Tennessee Vols (15-5, 5-3). The Vols have surprised a lot of SEC basketball fans this season and have seen a dramatic improvement. Of course, with the road struggles the Rebels have seen this season this is a tough test. This is absolutely a must-win for Andy Kennedy and Ole Miss basketball. However, it has to come against the No.18 team in the nation.
Next: AK's Top 5 Greatest Moments!
We don’t have to wait long to see if Ole Miss basketball can bounce back from two consecutive losses. Of course, we find out this Saturday. Tip-off from The Summit in Knoxville against No.18 Tennessee is set for 5pm CT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. Good luck to AK and the Rebels. Hotty Toddy!