Ole Miss Basketball: Game 15 preview vs Florida
Ole Miss are looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat against fifth-ranked Tennessee. Tomorrow, the Rebels will be back at the Pavilion when they face Florida in game 15 of the season.
Ole Miss were handed their first loss of the season on Saturday at the hands of SEC rivals Tennessee. It was a tough start to conference play for the Rebels, going down 90-64 in Knoxville. HC Chris Beard will be hoping the team can bounce back tomorrow against Florida.
Despite having a home-court advantage, Florida will be a tough opponent tomorrow for the Rebels. The Gators sit at 10-4 on the season, with a 0-1 conference record. Their SEC loss came on Saturday against sixth-ranked Kentucky, an 87-85 loss that could easily have been a win.
Florida's other three losses were against Virginia, Wake Forest and the current 14-ranked Baylor Bears.
Ole Miss were dominated in rebounds by the Volunteers in the loss on Saturday, with the Vols having a 47-24 rebound advantage. Florida leads the SEC in defensive rebounds with 28.2 per game. Todd Golden's side are also averaging 45.1 total rebounds per game. The Rebels will need to close the gap in that area if they want to take the victory tomorrow.
The game will be live on SEC Network at 8:00pm CT/ 9:00 pm ET on Weds. Jan 20.
Florida is ranked as the eighth-scoring offence in the country. However, they struggle on three-point shooting and defending three-point attempts. The Rebels are one of the best when it comes to three-point shooting. Another area where the game can be won for Ole Miss tomorrow night
Two Florida players the Rebels will need to keep quiet are Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel. Samuel leads the team on rebounds with 8.7 per game. Pullin is the big difference-maker when it comes to scoring for the Gators.
This is a tough match-up for Ole Miss, with home-court advantage potentially being the advantage. The Rebels will also need to swing the rebound percentage in their favour. This is something Coach Beard's team is struggling to do this season.
The game will be live on SEC Network at 8:00pm CT/ 9:00 pm ET on Weds. Jan 20.