Ole Miss (12-7, 2-5 SEC) vs. Auburn (9-9, 3-4 SEC)
6 p.m.
The Pavilion at Ole Miss
The Ole Miss men’s basketball team returns to the Pavilion tonight as they try to snap a four-game losing streak.
In their last two outings, the depleted Rebels played without two starters, junior forward Sebastian Saiz and senior guard Martavious Newby. Saiz is recovering from retina surgery, while Newby is dealing with a swollen eye.
Stefan Moody was also absent from Saturday’s loss to Mississippi State as he injured his hamstring in an overtime loss to South Carolina on Jan. 19.
The hope is to have Newby and Moody return for tonight’s game against a greatly improved Auburn team led by head coach Bruce Pearl.
Auburn won just four SEC games last season. The Tigers are much-improved this year, having knocked off No. 14 Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama already this season.
It’s do or die time for Ole Miss if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. The odds are heavily against them as they’re ranked no. 95 in the country in RPI and have no top 50 wins.
The time is now for Ole Miss to catch up to the hot start they had earlier in the season. With three winnable games against Auburn, Kansas State and Missouri coming up, Ole Miss is on the clock.
Impact Players:
Ole Miss- Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey
Regardless of whether or not Moody suits up for the red and blue, expect freshman guard Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey to play a key role for the Rebels. In the 83-77 road loss to Mississippi State last Saturday, the Memphis native stepped up and scored 16 points — 12 in the last 3 minutes, 21 seconds — with four assists in 28 minutes of action.
Fitzpatrick-Dorsey is a combination guard that missed the first part of the season due to an academic issue. The lack of scouting could hurt Auburn if they do not watch the recent film on the 6-foot-4-inch guard. If Fitzpatrick-Dorsey can continue to play well, expect him to be a household name at Ole Miss for the next three years.
Auburn-Tyler Harris
The 6-foot-10-inch forward could have a field day if Ole Miss doesn’t clear up their front-court issues. The NBA Draft prospect averages 15.2 points and 8.1 rebounds this season for the Tigers. If Saiz can’t play, as expected, Ole Miss could be in trouble. Ole Miss doesn’t have a rim protector with Saiz out of the lineup, and Harris can cause a lot of problems down low. The senior forward scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the upset over Kentucky back on Jan. 16. Harris works very well with Auburn guard Kareem Canty, who averages 18.9 points per game.
