Ole Miss Basketball: Rebels drop game at Georgia

Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball were in Athens to face Georgia in an SEC matchup but the Rebels scoring woes continue to linger.

Ole Miss basketball (8-8, 3-6) was back in action Saturday evening as the Rebels faced off against Georgia (10-6, 3-6) for the second time in two weeks. The Rebels entered the matchup coming off an ugly 79-54 loss on the road at Arkansas. Georgia entered the game coming off an ugly 83-59 loss at South Carolina. Both teams needed the win but the Rebels came up short in a 71-61 decision.

Despite playing really good on defense and outrebounding Georgia, the Rebels couldn’t make shots early. The Rebels managed to fight Georgia in the paint and kept the game close trailing 37-34 at the break. In the second half, the Rebels’ lack of offense allowed Georgia to take control of the game late. The Bulldogs won 71-61. OHT looks at the Rebels’ second straight loss by the numbers with some observations.

By The Numbers

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This was not a pretty loss for Ole Miss basketball despite the defensive numbers. The Rebels shot poorly and the result was the Rebels’ sixth SEC loss. As a team, the Rebels shot just 23 of 64 or 35.9% from the field. In contrast, the Bulldogs hit 26 of 47 or 55.9% of their shots from inside the arc.

From beyond the 3-point line, the Rebels were terrible, hitting only 2 of 13 or 15.4% from the arc. Compared to Georgia who hit 9 of 18 or 50.0% from beyond the outside line. At the free-throw line, the Rebels edged Georgia hitting 13 of 19 or 68.4% of their shots. The Bulldogs hit half of their shots for a 50% average.

On the floor, the Rebels outrebounded the Dogs 40 to 30 with 23 offensive boards which are a season-high. The bulldogs posted just 10 offensive boards but they were making their shots and didn’t have to worry about rebounds.

Defensively the Rebels were responsible for 19 Georgia turnovers with 12 steals and 4 blocked shots. Georgia created 16 Rebels turnovers with 6 steals and 3 blocked shots. From the bench, the Rebels only got 9 points with 44 minutes played. The Bulldogs bench scored 19 points in 49 minutes. The Rebels scored just 17 points while the Dogs scored 21 points on takeaways.

Rebels Scorers

Leading all Rebels in scoring was Jarkel Joiner who had 14 points. Joiner also had 6 steals, 1 assist, and 5 boards. Following Joiner was Devontae Shuler who had 11 points with 2 assists and 4 rebounds. Also scoring in double-digits was Robert Allen who added 10 points. Allen also had 2 steals, 1 blocked shot, 1 assist, and 6 rebounds. Luis Rodriguez added 9 points with 2 steals, 1 blocked shot, and 5 rebounds. Romello White had 8 points with 1 steal, 1 blocked shot, 2 assists, and 4 boards.

Off the bench, the Rebels didn’t fare so well with only 9 points to show. Leading the Rebels off of the bench was Matthew Murrell who had 5 points with 1 steal, 1 blocked shot, and 3 rebounds. Next up was Khadim Sy who had 2 points with 2 points and 1 board. Rounding out Rebels scoring was Sammy Hunter with 2 points and 2 rebounds.

Observations

The Rebels have obvious problems. In the last two games, both losses, the Rebels are just 3 of 39 from 3-point range. If you can’t make 3s then don’t shoot 3s. Even the Rebels’ mid-range shooting is bad. Work the ball into the paint and get the points or at least draw the foul and try your luck from the free-throw line.

Plain and simple, this team can’t shoot. Even with lights-out defense, which the Rebels have, they simply can’t convert turnovers and/or rebounds into points. No scoring equates no wins and we’ve seen the evidence of it this season.

Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball will be back in action Tuesday night when they host the Tennessee Volunteers (12-3, 5-3) at The Pavilion in Oxford. Tipoff is set for 6:00 pm CT and the game will be televised on ESPN2. As always, stay safe and Hotty Toddy!