Ole Miss basketball was hunting their second consecutive SEC win as they played Saturday hosting the Texas A&M Aggies at The Pavilion in Oxford.
Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball (8-6, 3-4) were back in action Saturday as they faced off against the Texas A&M Aggies (7-6, 2-5) at The Pavilion in Oxford. The Rebels entered the matchup coming off a 64-46 road win over in-state rival Miss State. The Aggies were coming off a 68-52 loss to Missouri on Jan 16. The Aggies game against Vandy on January 20 was postponed due to Covid-19 issues.
The Rebels were hunting their second consecutive SEC win and found a 61-50 win over the Aggies. Behind a tough defense, the Rebels pressured the Aggies early and took a 31-28 lead into the locker room at the break. The Rebels added onto the halftime lead and found the 11-point win. OHT looks at the Rebels’ win by the numbers.
By The Numbers
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As a team, the Rebels shot 44.2% from the field making 19 of 43 of their shots. The Aggies shot just 39.2% hitting 20 of 51 of their tries from the field. From beyond the arc, the Rebels hit 5 of 17 or 29.4% compared to the Aggies who hit 5 of 21 or 13.8%. At the charity stripe, the Rebels hit 18 of 29 or 62.1%.
The Rebels outrebounded the Aggies 32 to 31 while also winning the turnover battle forcing 18 Aggie turnovers while committing only 15 of their own. The Rebels scored 25 points off Aggies turnovers while the Aggies scored just 17 points on Rebels miscues. Ole Miss had 5 blocked shots and 10 steals while TAMU had 3 blocks and just 5 takeaways.
Leading all Rebels in scoring was Jarkel Joiner who had 21 points. Joiner also had 7 rebounds and 1 steal. Following Joiner was Devontae Shuler with 17 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. Romello White was third on the Rebels scorecard with 9 points. White also added 3 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, and 1 assist.
KJ Buffen added 6 points with 4 boards, 1 assist, and 1 blocked shot. Matthew Murrell also contributed 6 points. Murrell had 2 steals and 1 assist. Rounding out the scoring for the Rebels was Robert Allen who had 2 points to go with 3 steals, 2 assists, and 1 rebound.
This was the second consecutive game Rebels fans saw the defense which was dominant in the early part of the 2020-21 Ole Miss basketball season. While the Rebels may still be on their way to becoming better on offense, the defense is on top of their game.
The Rebels will evolve to be a better scoring offense but have developed as a great scoring defense. Can the Rebels continue to win games on defense alone? No, but for now they are creating turnovers and rebounding on both ends of the floor as well as getting the points they need to win games. Fingers are crossed that the Rebels can keep moving forward and getting better on offense.
Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball will be back in action Wednesday night as they travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks (12-4, 4-4). Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm CT and the game will be televised via the SEC Network. Good luck to the Rebels and as always, please stay safe and Hotty Toddy!