Ole Miss twice found itself in the same position as 14 other Southeastern Conference teams this season, on the losing end of a game against the No. 1 Auburn Tigers.
While the Rebels, 19-9 (8-7 SEC), would trim a double-digit lead to single digits, it would not be enough as the Tigers would oust the Rebels 106-76 down on The Plains in runaway fashion.
To be honest, Ole Miss played fairly well overall and shot the ball well all night, finishing 47.1 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from three. Those numbers compounded with 76 points, and one would expect a better outcome, but we’re talking about the best team in college basketball you’re facing.
The tale of the tape was the Tigers' ability to shoot the basketball from anywhere on the floor. At one point, Auburn was shooting over 75 percent in all game phases. You’re not beating anyone with those numbers, especially Auburn.
The Rebels would end up with five players in double figures, led again by Sean Pedulla with 14 points and four assists.
Ole Miss has much more pressing needs, as a blowout loss to Auburn is the least of its problems. The Rebels, led by Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard, are staring a three-game losing streak in the face with arguably its biggest game of the season coming up against Oklahoma in Oxford this Saturday.
The Sooners, fresh off a gut-wrenching loss to Kentucky, have proven to be a tough out for teams in the loaded SEC. More importantly for the Rebels, should they fall to Oklahoma, a nightmare scenario could unfold with closing games against No. 5 Tennessee at home and at No.3 Florida.
What Chris Beard doesn’t want is heading into the SEC Tournament in Nashville with a six-game losing streak and undoubtedly playing on the opening Wednesday of the five-day tournament.
To avoid the doomsday scenario, the Rebels need to beat the Sooners on Saturday and pick one off from Tennessee or Florida. At that point, it would be in solid shape heading to Nashville. At that point, Ole Miss would have 21 wins with 10 of those coming in conference play.
All is right in the world at that point.
Should the Rebels lose on Saturday and the doomsday scenario come to fruition, it could be problematic come Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Rebels were a “lock” for the NCAA Tournament before the loss to Auburn, according to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi, and a No. 6 seed. As for where the Rebels stand in the metrics, the Rebels are No. 27 in the NET rankings, falling from No. 25 prior to the loss to Auburn.
As for wins in the four quadrants, as noted by the NET rankings, the Rebels remain undefeated in Quads 2-4, holding a 5-9 record in Quad 1 games.
THE SEC IS A BUZZSAW
All the important byes in the SEC Tournament are up in the air for the opening two days. As for the double byes, Auburn, Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee are currently in a great position, with Missouri just outside the top four.
After that, six teams could finish anywhere from 6th to 11th place, making it almost impossible to project the bracket inside the Bridgestone Arena.
As it stands, Texas A&M has the best record of the bunch at 9-6, with Kentucky and Ole Miss at 8-7 each and Mississippi State and Vanderbilt on the heels at 7-8.
The interesting team of all is Arkansas, with a conference record of 6-9, but the Hogs, under first-year head coach John Calipari, have a very favorable schedule down the stretch.
Bottom line: I’m not ready to say the season is on the brink pending a loss on Saturday, but I do believe there is a major concern inside the Ole Miss basketball program should a loss to Oklahoma occur.