Ole Miss Basketball: Rebels Look To Rebound At Home Against No.22 Miss State

Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball are looking to get back in the win column this Saturday when they face No.22 ranked Miss State.

Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball (14-6, 4-3) will be back in action this Saturday as they host the No.22 Miss State Bulldogs (15-5, 3-4) in Oxford. Of course, we know this will be another sellout for Davis and the Rebels and the game will be very physical and emotional on both sides. The Rebels will be looking to break a three game losing streak and the Bullies will be looking to avenge the Rebels win in the last meeting and the MSU SEC loss to Alabama earlier this week.

Naturally the Rebels have a lot of improvements they need to make coming off an OT SEC road loss to the Florida Gators. The Rebels will be up for this game and they know what is at stake for them this season. While the Rebels have a winning record in The Pavilion and will certainly have the crowd this is still a very good Miss State team which is ranked for a reason. We will look at the two foes earlier meeting this season and some of the Bulldogs key players.

The Last Meeting

Ole Miss Rebels

January 12th the Rebels and Bulldogs faced off in the Hump in Starkville. The Rebels knocked off the then No.14 ranked Bulldogs in a 81-77 SEC road win. There were four Rebels who scored in double-digits with freshman Blake Hinson leading the way with 26 points and 5 boards. Junior Breein Tyree added 19 points while senior Terence Davis added 12 points. Sophomore Devontae Shuler added 10 points.

We know we will need another big game against the Bulldogs in order to get the win. With just two days to rest and also practice coming off an SEC road loss won’t be easy for the Rebels and this game could be much too close for comfort. The Rebels will need to play mistake free basketball, make their shots count and be solid in the paint to get the win. On to State’s key players.

Bulldogs Team Leaders

When you look at the leaders for No.22 Miss State its easy to see they are a very good team. The Bullies leading scorer is senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon who is averaging 17.2 points per game while also averaging 5.6 boards and 2.7 assists per game. Weatherspoon is also the MSU steals leader with 1.4 per game. Junior guard Lamar Peters is the Bulldogs assists leader with 5.8 per game while averaging 13.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Senior forward Aric Holman leads Miss State in both rebounds and blocks with 7.7 boards and 2.2 swats per game. Sophomore Abdul Ado leads the Bulldogs in field goal percentage hitting 58.8% of his shots. Ado averages 5.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs have a dep bench and anybody is capable of having a huge game.

Observations

While the Rebels do have three consecutive losses they are fortunate to be playing this game in the home confines of The Pavilion. So far this season the Rebels are 8-2 at home and with another sellout we can rest assured there will be a rowdy crowd of Rebels. Home court advantage is huge but the Rebels have to play clean mistake free ball at both ends of the court and make their shots to get the win.

Tipoff from The Pavilion in Oxford is set for 2:30pm CT and the game will be televised via the SEC Network. Good luck to coach Kermit Davis and the Rebels. BEAT STATE! Hotty Toddy!