Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball were back in SEC action Wednesday night as the Rebels travelled to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators.
Ole Miss basketball was back in SEC action on the road Wednesday night after coming off a second consecutive loss most recently to then No.24 Iowa State. This past Saturday the Rebels fell 73-87 to the Cyclones in the SEC/Big12 Challenge. Wednesday night the Florida Gators came into the matchup with their own loss in the SEC/Big12 Challenge as they fell 50-55 to TCU.
The Rebels started strong against the Gators but Florida took a 33-30 lead into the locker room at the break. The Rebels played a great second half outscoring the Gators 46-43 to tie the game at the end of regulation. In the overtime period the Gators outscored the Rebels 14-10 to get the 90-86 SEC win. Of course, we can look at the game by the numbers.
By The Numbers
Ole Miss Rebels
In a game where the Rebels were hoping to improve in some areas from the past two losses the Rebels shot just .460 from the field while the Gators shot .492. The Rebels shot just .261 from beyond the arc while the Gators shot .423 from 3-point distance. The Rebels did outshoot the Gators at the charity stripe hitting .846 from the line while Florida shot just .773 from the free throw line.
Ole Miss outrebounded Florida 41-27 while getting 7 steals. The Gators created 6 steals in the game. The biggest issue for the Rebels in the game was once again turnovers. The Rebels had 17 turnovers while the Gators only turned the ball over 13 times. Despite the poor numbers the Rebels were able to stay in the game until the very end.
Individual Rebels Numbers
On the night there were 3 Rebels who scored in double-digits with senior Terence Davis leading all Rebels with 27 points. Davis also had 12 rebounds to get his double-double. Davis also had 5 assists and 1 steal in the game. Junior Breein Tyree added 20 points to go with his 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Freshman KJ Buffen added 17 points while grabbing 5 boards to go with 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.
Observations
While the Rebels did show up and manage to last to the end of regulation there is still a lot of work left for coach Kermit Davis. The Rebels continue to play hard yet still have way too many turnovers (17) to win games in the SEC. The Rebels can still have a great season but have to quit making mistakes which have a major impact on the eventual outcome of the game.
While many Ole Miss basketball fans question some of the plays towards the end of both regulation and OT we have to believe coach Kermit Davis knew what he was doing in those situations and the Rebels simply didn’t execute. The SEC road is not an easy place to get a win but the Rebels should have won this game.
Can coach Kermit Davis and the Rebels correct the mistakes which have cost them their 3rd consecutive loss? We find out this Saturday as the Rebels return home to face No.22 Miss State in The Pavilion. Please be sure to be watch for the OHT Ole Miss/Miss State preview coming soon and hang in there Rebels. Hotty Toddy!