Earlier this season, it took overtime to decide the ranked matchup between Ole Miss and Mississippi State in Starkville. This Saturday, inside the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, the Rebels and Bulldogs will again meet with NCAA Tournament ramifications on the line in front of a sold-out crowd.
The Rebels, 19-6, 8-4 SEC, held on for dear life against South Carolina Tuesday night, escaping Columbia with a 72-68 win against the winless Gamecocks in conference play.
Rebel center Malik Dia had a big night, finishing with a team-high 18 points. Similar to the game last Saturday in the win against LSU on the road, the Rebels didn’t particularly play well.
"“I thought they were demanding the foul. Give credit to them. Offensive rebounding was non-existent, but we came up big late. We have to be better at that. I give Carolina a lot of credit.”"Chris Beard
The difference between this year's team and others is that the Rebels have been very successful in conference play on the road. This season, Ole Miss is 4-2 on the road in SEC play, including a win over No. 2 Alabama.
The Rebels have found a way to win down the stretch. Riding a three-game winning streak with wins over Texas, LSU, and South Carolina, the Rebels are playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
What’s even more impressive is the Rebels in the NET rankings and success in the four quadrants.
Currently ranked No. 21 in the NET, the Rebels are undefeated in Q2, Q3, and Q4 games, holding a 5-6 record in Q1 games. Only nine teams in the country are undefeated in games outside of quadrant one.
The Rebels, who have ranked opponents Mississippi State, Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida remaining, could skyrocket up the rankings if it stays hot.
Most importantly, Ole Miss has proven it can win with any number of players on the roster on any given night. Some nights, its guard Sean Pedulla. Other nights, it could be guard Matthew Murrell or forward Jaemyn Brakefield. The Rebels have five players, averaging in double figures, with Malik Dia just outside, scoring 9.9 points per game.
I’d call that the perfect distribution of the basketball.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Will the real Mississippi State Bulldogs, 17-7, 5-6 SEC, please stand up? Fresh off an overtime thrilling win over Ole Miss back in January, MSU has a record of 2-4, with wins coming against Georgia and South Carolina by only six points combined. A team that took then No. 6 Kentucky and No. 3 Alabama to the brink, the Dogs have suffered blowout losses to No. 20 Missouri and No. 3 Florida at home in head-scratching fashion.
Against Ole Miss, players like guard Riley Kugel, who scored a then season-high 21 points, and forward KeShawn Murphy with 18 points, Mississippi State has struggled with consistency since that point.
When the Bulldogs click, they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The problem has been both the effort and execution of head coach Chris Jans' offense as of late.
I expect Jans and talented guard Josh Hubbard to play with the intensity it had earlier this season against the Rebels on Saturday.
In Starkville against Ole Miss, the Bulldogs out rebounded the Rebels 25-10 in the first half and a whopping 51-29 in the game. It will take another big effort on the boards to leave Oxford with another win over Ole Miss and a sweep in the series for the season.