Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball will close out the 2018-19 regular season Saturday as they travel to face Mizzou.
Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball (19-11, 9-8) will be closing out the 2018-19 season on the road. The Rebels are coming off a three-game losing streak but hope to get back in the win column against Missouri (14-15, 5-12). A win in Columbia would put Ole Miss at 20 regular season wins, mark a better seeding for the SEC Tourney and likely get the Rebels into the NCAA Tourney.
The Rebels enter Columbia coming off a heartbreaking 80-76 loss to Kentucky while the Tigers are coming off a 64-39 win at Georgia. Coached by Cuonzo Martin, Missouri is a very talented team and are on a two-game win streak entering the Saturday matchup. The Tigers have been playing very good basketball as of late and will be a tough team for the Rebels on the road. OHT takes a look at the Tigers key players and their stats.
Mizzou Key Players
Ole Miss Rebels
Right now Mizzou is tough and with the talent Mizzou has producing they will be a formidable opponent for the Rebels. Leading all Tigers in scoring is senior guard Jordan Geist who averages 14.1 points per game. Geist also leads Mizzou in assists and steal averaging 3.1 and 1.0 respectively.
Junior forward Reed Nikko leads the Tigers in field-goal percentage hitting 61.5% of his shots. Nikko also averages 3.1 points and 2.0 boards per game. The Tigers leading rebounder is sophomore forward Jeremiah Tilmon who averages 5.9 boards per game. Tilmon also leads the Tigers in blocks with 0.8 per game.
Sophomore guard Mark Smith leads Mizzou in 3-point field goal percentage hitting 45.0% of his shots from beyond the arc while averaging 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Observations
Despite three consecutive losses the Rebels have been playing very good basketball. Ole Miss knows what is at stake and are poised to make the NCAA Tourney in some March Madness. Over the past three games the Rebels have played two Top10 teams in the SEC to a combined 6 point deficit and simply have been unable to close out games. The Rebels need this win to gain some momentum heading into the SEC Tourney which will begin next week.
Tipoff from Columbia, Missouri 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. Hotty Toddy!