Ole Miss carries an 11-1 report into its pre-conference finale at Memphis on Saturday.
The No. 16 Rebels have gained 5 video games in a row since a two-point loss to then-No. 13 Purdue late final month, their solely blemish up to now.
Ole Miss was not at its finest within the newest outing, an 80-62 victory in opposition to Queens final Saturday, however that consequence did reveal the flexibility that the Rebels have developed within the buildup towards Southeastern Convention play.
Three-point capturing has been a big a part of the staff’s success, however the Rebels had a sub-par efficiency in opposition to Queens. They rank sixth within the SEC in each 3-pointers made per recreation (9.4) and 3-point capturing accuracy (36.3 p.c), however in opposition to Queens they shot 7 of 27 (25.9 p.c).
“How do you win a basketball recreation on an evening the place the photographs aren’t happening?” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard mentioned. “You have to discover one other class.”
For the Rebels, that class was field-goal makes an attempt. They took 14 extra photographs than the Royals and wound up with eight extra area objectives. A key to that benefit was ball safety, as Ole Miss dedicated simply eight turnovers to Queens’ 21. The Rebels logged 11 steals, according to their common of 10.4 steals per recreation (tied for eighth within the nation).
“That gave us extra photographs than our opponent,” Beard mentioned of the regular ballhandling.
When the 3-pointers weren’t falling, Ole Miss began getting the ball inside and completed with a 42-24 benefit in factors within the paint.
“That sort of opened issues up for us,” mentioned guard Sean Pedulla, who led the Rebels with 25 factors and made 9 of 14 field-goal makes an attempt.
Ole Miss is aware of overcoming a selected weak spot will not be as straightforward in opposition to Memphis (9-3) or when SEC play begins subsequent week.
The Tigers are taking part in their remaining pre-league recreation earlier than opening American Athletic Convention motion subsequent week. They’re coming off a 79-66 dwelling loss in opposition to Mississippi State on Dec. 21.
The back-to-back video games in opposition to SEC groups comes on the finish of a nonconference schedule that additionally featured Missouri, UConn, Michigan State, Auburn, Clemson and Virginia. The Tigers are 5-2 in opposition to power-conference foes.
“We requested for this schedule,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway mentioned. “We’ll should cope with it.”
Hardaway mentioned, as he did after earlier losses to Auburn and Arkansas State, “This one loss is not going to outline who we’re as a result of it is about your entire season.”
However, he mentioned the one disappointing factor concerning the defeat in opposition to Mississippi State was, “I did not really feel like we fought as laborious as we may have. … We have simply acquired to continue to grow and be taught from each recreation that we lose.”
Memphis ranks tenth within the nation in 3-point capturing accuracy (40.5 p.c), however the Tigers have made simply 26 p.c (13 of fifty) from lengthy vary of their previous two video games.
Because the Tigers attempt to finalize their rotation and roles getting into convention play, Hardaway acknowledged, “We’re taking part in just a few guys a ton of minutes.”
Eight Memphis gamers are seeing double-digit taking part in time. The staff’s high three scorers — PJ Haggerty (22.5 factors per recreation), Tyrese Hunter (15.9 ppg) and Colby Rogers (11.6 ppg) — are averaging 37.0, 35.3 and 31.8 minutes, respectively.
–Area Stage Media
