Ole Miss basketball was back in action over the weekend as they played two games in Destin and the Rebels split the weekend.
Ole Miss basketball (3-2) returned from Destin splitting the two games they played in the Sunshine State. Friday night the Rebels were riding a one-game win streak as they entered Destin coming off a 75-55 win over Nicholls State. The Rebels first faced Baylor (4-2) who entered the match-up coming off a 81-54 win which was also over Nicholls State.
The Rebels picked up the 78-70 win over the Baylor Bears on Friday and were set to take on Cincinnati (5-1) on Saturday in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Bearcats entered the matchup coming off a 71-55 win over George Mason. Despite the Rebels riding the momentum of a two-game win streak the Rebels fell to Cincy 71-57. Lets look at both games by the numbers.
Baylor By The Numbers
Ole Miss Rebels
As with almost any Rebels win the numbers against Baylor looked pretty good. The Rebels shot .393 from the field opposed to Baylor’s .463 however the Rebels shot .250 from beyond the arc while the Bears shot just .111 from 3-point range. From the charity stripe the Rebels shot .806 while the Baylor Bears shot .818 from the free-throw line.
Leading all Rebels scoring was junior Breein Tyree who had 28 points. Tyree also had 2 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Senior Bruce Stevens added 17 points to go with his 8 boards, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Freshmen Blake Hinson and KF Buffen each added 9 points in the Baylor game. Hinson also had 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. Buffen had 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot against Baylor.
Quick Observations
The Rebels looked really good on both ends of the court and picked up right where they left off in the previous win over Nicholls. What this game showed us as fans was there are a lot of very talented players on this team. Senior Terence Davis who had carried the Rebels thru the first three games of the season was held to just 7 points in the game.
While some Rebels look at this team and still wonder what to expect from the Rebels this team is very good and talented Kermit Davis team and will find success. We watched two highly-touted freshmen have good nights and the future is very bright for these two players. It would appear to many of us coach Davis is still testing his lineup and depth. Give it time and it will work.
Cincy By The Numbers
The second game in Destin was certainly a horse of a different color from what coach Kermit Davis and the Rebels has seen from Baylor. Against the Cincinnati Bearcats the Rebels shot just .373 from the field while Cincy shot .400. The Rebels shot just .143 from the arc while Cincy shot .429 from 3-point range. The Rebels did improve from the charity stripe shooting .941 while Cincy shot .714 from the free-throw line.
Sophomore Devontae Shuler led all Rebels in the game with 24 points. Shuler also added 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. Junior Breein Tyree added 14 points while also getting 1 board, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. Senior Bruce Stevens had 8 points while also getting 3 boards and 1 steal. Junior Dominik Olejniczak had 6 points in the game. Olejniczak also had 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.
Observations
This was a tough game for the Rebels but not really that bad considering the team Cincinnati has. The Bearcats have produced five wins in six games over some quality opponents with their only loss coming in their season opener against Ohio State. While they don’t score a lot of points they are incredible on defense and they proved it against George Mason and then Ole Miss.
When it comes to the Rebels coach Kermit Davis has a tall task ahead of him. This Rebels team is loaded with talent and Davis is burdened with having to pick out the best lineup to produce. Playing games on back to back nights proved to be tough but the experience the Rebels gained against Cincy will produce wins when it matters in conference play.
The 2018 edition of Ole Miss basketball will be back in action this Wednesday as they host San Diego on Books and Bears Night. Tipoff from The Pavilion is set for 6:30pm CT. The game will be televised via SEC Network+. Good luck to coach Kerm and the Rebels! Hotty Toddy!