Aaron Jones. Monday evening practice.
Ole Miss is back in the NCAA Tournament and will have a date with No. 11 seed BYU in the play-in game in Dayton, Ohio, at the University of Dayton Arena tonight. It’s just the second time since 2002 that the Rebels have made the Big Dance.
After losing four out of their last five games, many experts didn’t believe the Rebels belonged in the tournament. Nevertheless, they are here and have something big to prove. A win in the NCAA Tournament for the Rebels would put the cherry on top for Ole Miss as the expectations weren’t that high before the season. A win would also gain momentum going into the new Pavilion at Ole Miss next season.
It’s been a good season as Ole Miss won 20 games and picked up big road wins over Oregon and Arkansas. Now, Ole Miss has a golden opportunity to show why they were deserving of being selected into the field.
However, this task won’t be easy as they’re taking on a Cougar squad that went on the road on February 28th to defeat then No. 3 Gonzaga 73-70. The Cougars are led by the guard combo of senior Tyler Haws and junior Kyle Collinsworth that have an advantage on senior guard Jarvis Summers and junior guard Stefan Moody due to their height. Ole Miss may be an underdog, but anything can happen in the NCAA Tournament.
One interesting statistic regarding this matchup is that a First Four team has won multiple games in the tournament each year since the First Four began in 2011, including two Sweet 16 teams and one Final Four team. The winner of this game will face No. 6 seed Xavier in the second round on Thursday at 4:10 p.m. C.T. in Jacksonville, Florida.
Impact Player Ole Miss – Stefan Moody
It all comes down to the man who’s brought Ole Miss this far, and that’s junior guard Stefan Moody. For the most part, Moody was a sensation this year with his unique shot-making ability and his strong defense.
However, in his last five games, he has struggled. Moody is only shooting around 26 percent from the field as teams have started to figure out how to defend his lights-out shooting. In order for Ole Miss to have any chance to advance to play Xavier, Moody must be efficient and play smart on the defensive end. Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy must get Moody to run off his traditional baseline screens to get wide open to knock down shots. Moody’s effectiveness could also impact Summers, who needs to feed off Moody’s energy in order to avoid playing in his final collegiate game.
Impact Player BYU –
Tyler Haws
Senior shooting guard Tyler Haws is one of the most deadly scorers in the nation, as he ranks fourth in the country in scoring at 21.9 points per game. Recently this year, Haws passed BYU great Jimmer Fredette on the BYU all-time scoring list. Haws is an excellent all-around player as he shoots close to 48 percent from the field and is an amazing free throw shooter at 87 percent on the year. Haws has played in all 34 of the Cougar’s games this year, scoring in double-figures in all but one. Needless to say, this guy can score from all areas on the floor. It is crucial for junior guard Martavious Newby and senior guard LaDarius White to hold him in check as he has potential to light up the scoreboard early.
When: 8:10 p.m. C.T.
Where: University of
Dayton Arena
TV: Tru TV
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball during the NCAA tournament, follow @browningstubbs and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
