The chances of a run looked promising after a comeback win against BYU, but the Rebels fell in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 6 seed Xavier 76-57 Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Rebels scored more in the second half against BYU than they did in the whole game against Xavier. The same shooting stroke wasn’t there Thursday for the Rebels. Ole Miss shot 33 percent from the field and only 22 percent from three-point land (6-of-27).
Ole Miss needed another great performance from junior guard Stefan Moody in order to advance against a tough Xavier team, and Moody struggled as a result of great defense by the Musketeers. Moody led Ole Miss with 14 points, but he struggled from the field going 5-for-18 from the field and 2-for-9 from beyond the arc.
“It was a tough afternoon for us, but I’m really proud of our group for getting to the NCAA Tournament and advancing in the tournament,” Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy said. “We certainly did not play well, and all the credit goes to Xavier. They were in complete control of the tempo from the start, and we were never able to wrestle it away from them.”
Senior center for Xavier Matt Stainbrook and senior guard Dee Davis proved to be too much for the Rebels to handle. Stainbrook was a force down low for the Musketeers as he scored 20 points going 8-for-10 from the field and added on nine rebounds. Davis went 5-for-10 from the field and 4-for-9 from beyond the arc with 17 points.
Xavier is known for their efficient offense, shooting 47 percent on the season, and the Musketeers continued on their way shooting 46 percent against the Rebels.
The difference in the matchup was free throw shooting. Xavier went to the foul line 21 times and made 14 of those shots. The Rebels did not seem aggressive enough driving to the hoop and settled for jump shots the majority of the game. The Rebels only went to the free throw line five times and made three of those shots.
Ole Miss made a run in the second half to cut the lead to single-digits for the first time since the first half, but Xavier always responded defensively and put the game out of reach, sealing the 76-57 win for the Musketeers.
“We were trying to make a little run there at the end, before the wind came out of our sails,” Kennedy said.
Ole Miss ends the season with a 21-13 overall record, which is the seventh 20-win season under Kennedy. It was the second NCAA Tournament appearance for the Rebels under Kennedy.
