The Ole Miss Rebels (12-8) will tip off against the No. 4 Baylor Bears (19-1) at The Pavilion Saturday. Baylor, led by Johnathan Motley, a 6-foot-9-inch power forward, represents a serious challenge for head coach Andy Kennedy and his players.
“They’re an outstanding team and a legit final four contender,” Kennedy said. “We’re just trying to manage games as best we can and give ourselves a chance to win.”
With Wednesday’s 80-76 loss to Texas A&M still fresh in their minds, the Rebels are looking to bounce back and maintain their tournament aspirations. Kennedy does not plan on making any special adjustments to his team ahead of Saturday’s game.
“Our view has never been anything other than ‘guys, we’ve gotta get get better.’ That’s what I’ve been saying since day one, and that’s what I’m saying now. We’re not talking big picture– We’ve just got to get better. Reinvent ourselves.”
Ole Miss was badly out-rebounded by the Aggies, 39-23, and sophomore Terence Davis knows Baylor will be just as good on the boards.
“We definitely will take a look at it. I mean, you can’t just look over something like this once you get out-rebounded by 16,” Davis said.
Junior forward Justas Furmanavicius charges toward the rim in a game against Texas A&M earlier this season. Head coach Andy Kennedy hopes to fix a poor rebounding situation by holding individuals accountable.
The rebounding situation hasn’t escaped the coaching staff’s eyes either. It’s a problem, Kennedy says, that needs to be dealt with on an individual basis. For him, it comes down to accountability.
“I see Justas and Justas fights and he tries but you know he played 32 minutes and gets one defensive rebound. (Marcanvis Hymon) plays 19 minutes and gets two defensive rebounds. We’ve got to rebound the ball,” Kennedy said.
On Wednesday, the Baylor Bears narrowly edged past Texas Tech by a score of 65-61. Motley, projected to be a top NBA draft pick, contributed 25 of those points.
“There’s a kid (Motley)… that just kind of thrust himself into a first round opportunity. And the reason being that he is so physically gifted; he’s long, he’s athletic and he’s strong,” Kennedy said.
Adding to the adversity the Rebels will face, Kennedy has been forced to deal with a constant plague of injuries this season.
“We’re moving guys around. And when (Deandre Burnett) got hurt and now the Rasheed (Brooks) situation, we’re just trying to fill holes. With Karlis (Silins) going down and then losing Nate (Morris), you know we look up front and we’re thin there too,” Kennedy said. “We’re just trying to manage games as best we can and give ourselves a chance to win.”
