It didn't take a village to see how Ole Miss men's basketball regular season would come to an end after a historic low of 10-game skid: with another loss.
After an unexpected win over Auburn snapped their depressing 10-game skid, the Rebels fell right back in the same pattern. Saturday's loss to South Carolina ended Ole Miss's regular season with a 12-19 record, 4-14 SEC.
It was a fight well fought against the Gamecocks, though, as it all came down to the final seconds. Luck definitely wasn't on Ole Miss's side at the Pavilion, or for the whole season as a matter of fact, as South Carolina's Meechie Johnson hit a game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second remaining, sealing the Gamecocks 64-61 win over the Rebels.
SEC Tournament hopes still alive for Ole Miss?
The work is 'done,' but it certainly isn't 'dusted.' Now, they get some practice before heading to Nashville for the SEC Tournament.
If they win every game in five days, there is still a chance for the squad to pull off the greatest season upset in college basketball history and secure an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
“Regardless of what kind of season you have, conference tournaments bring opportunities. Most of the teams around the country are playing for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s the situation we find ourselves in this year," Beard said in his post-game presser with the same comeback hopes he has been promising this whole season.
The Rebel Nation has supported them through all their lows throughout the season; they most certainly won't disappoint in the final games. Just this time, the Rebs might pull it off.
Since there is no pressure of expectations from the Rebs this time, they can try to spoil the postseason hopes for some teams. That becomes more like a personal mission when the first team you're facing is your former team.
The Rebels take on Texas, Beard's former team, on Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament.