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Ole Miss Basketball game 26 preview vs South Carolina

By Jordan Merritt

Feb 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard huddles with
Feb 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard huddles with / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
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After falling to rivals Mississippi State on Wednesday, Ole Miss Basketball will look to get back on the win trail. They have a difficult test against ranked South Carolina at home Saturday afternoon.

Ole Miss Basketball still have a window of making the NCAA Tournament in March, though the chances are beginning to look slim. Chris Beard's team will probably need to win four of their last five games. The first chance of nothing one of those wins will be Saturday against #20 ranked South Carolina at the Pavilion.

The Gamecocks started conference play on fire, losing just two of their starting 11 SEC games. However, they are coming off back-to-back losses, at home to LSU and a 101-61 blowout loss to Auburn.

The Rebels have only lost once in the Pavilion this season, that being against Auburn. South Carolina has a big road win over Tennessee. However, the other wins were against weaker SEC opponents, with losses coming at Alabama, Auburn and Clemson.

The Gamecocks are not a prolific scoring team, averaging 69.9 points in their last ten games. South Carolina play good defense, with opposing teams averaging 67.5 points per game and is ranked 21st in scoring defense.

Head Coach Lamont Paris has made his side a team that looks after the ball, sitting third with the fewest turnovers in the SEC. Ole Miss has been good in the turnover game, averaging 10.6 turnovers a game.

Expect the Gamecocks to slow the game down while being productive with their possessions. The Rebels will need to shoot at a high percentage if they want to gran the win on Saturday.

Guard Meechie Johnson and forward B.J. Mack lead the Gamecocks in points per game, averaging 13.8. Ole Miss have three players averaging more points per game, including Matthew Murrell, who is averaging 17.3 points per game.

Where/time to watch Ole Miss vs South Carolina Saturday?

  • TV channel: SEC Network Start time:  2:30 p.m. CT
  • Streaming: Watch ESPN, Stream FuboTV

Ole Miss vs South Carolina betting odds

Odds courtesy of  as of BetMGM Saturday Feb. 24

  • Spread:  Ole Miss -3.5
  • Over/under: 136.5