Ole Miss Basketball: Grove Grinder, Don’t Give Up On Rebels Hoops Just Yet

So far Ole Miss basketball has seen its share of success however the Rebels have taken two ugly games on the chin and fallen out of the Top25.

Hey nobody said we would be where we are at 4-2 in the SEC. This past Saturday then No.20 Ole Miss hosted No.24 Iowa State as one of the many games in the SEC/Big12 Challenge. The Iowa State Cyclones were on fire and there was nothing coach Kermit Davis could do to stop the Rebels bleeding.

We have seen the Rebels when they were on a streak of wins and we’ve seen them pick up 4 huge SEC wins. Without a doubt this is a far better team than we watched in the 2017-2018 season. Also without a doubt we have a very good coach. Does he need another recruiting class to get the Rebels back in the Top25? Maybe.

What we do know is coach Kermit Davis is building a program and it takes a minute in order to do it.  While we have seen two consecutive losses which were ‘very ugly’ this is a Ole Miss basketball team which is still learning a new system and saw a Top20 ranking. Just give coach Kermit Davis a little time and Ole Miss will constantly be ranked. Don’t give up, it’s coming.

Never Give Up

Ole Miss Rebels

If we are patient as Ole Miss basketball fans and can endure what is left of the SEC schedule and upcoming tourney then just maybe we will see this team do what was never expected of them and make a show in 2019. Picked last in the SEC this Ole Miss team is 4-2 in conference play and could still have a huge season with 12 games left before the tourney.

Naturally there is a magic win number which Ole Miss basketball must hit for their season to indeed be a success and to see postseason play. Honestly, this is the mark which must be met to say this season is a success. The number 20 means a lot in college basketball. If a team can achieve 20+ wins then they are considered a good team and they usually make the postseason.

The Magic Number

Can you even begin to imagine just how tough this Rebels team and this coach is? Coach Kermit Davis has shown he can win games in his first season. When you are a study of the game itself you can’t help but appreciate what he is doing in Oxford. While coach Davis sits at the No.3 spot in the SEC and we all know what is at stake in the SEC this season.

So the magic number for Ole Miss basketball has seemed to be the No.20. With 14 wins under their belt we would like to imagine this would be a lock getting to 20 wins. Is it that easy for this Ole Miss hoops team? The Rebels have a very tough schedule remaining and there are some losses left out of 12 games. We are just trying to be realistic.

Where can coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball scrap out 6 more wins? With 12 games left we take a look at the remaining schedule and pick out 6 wins before the SEC Tourney where the Rebels could get a couple more wins before the postseason.

The Remaining SEC Foes

First and foremost the Rebels need their first game of the ‘Magic Dozen’ against the Florida Gators this Wednesday nigh in Gainesville. The Rebels return to The Pavilion to face No.22 Miss State next Saturday. The Rebels took the first game against the Bullies as coach Kermit Davis picked up his first win over his former alma mater.

The Rebels will then face Texas A&M before hitting the road to Athens to take on Georgia. Of these first four game the Rebels should go 3-1 but they have a few tough games coming in the next eight. Coach Kermit Davis and the Rebels then face Auburn on the road before hosting Missouri in Oxford.

Coach Kermit Davis has a plan for Auburn and could pick up both of these games as wins for the Rebels. Ole Miss basketball will then travel to South Carolina to return home to face Georgia before facing No.1 UT in a midweek. The Rebels then face Arkansas on the road before returning home to take on No.7 Kentucky. The Rebels finish up the 2018-2019 regular season on the road against Missouri.

So here we go, we have a dozen games left in SEC play and we can bounce back from two losses. The Rebels will be back in action Wednesday night as they travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators. Don’t give up on this team just yet. They will surprise a lot of Ole Miss basketball fans. Hotty Toddy!