Ole Miss men’s basketball is looking to bounce back this Saturday against Georgia after suffering a tough loss on the road to South Carolina on Tuesday. The loss broke a four-game win streak, and now the Rebels are looking to get back in the win column.
Georgia is also coming into the matchup with an unusual loss to Mississippi State in its last game at home.
Blake Hinson shoots a layup over Mississippi State guard Quinndary Weatherspoon on Feb. 2. Mississippi State won the game 81-75. Photo by Christian Johnson
Mississippi State’s Quinndary Weatherspoon went to the line with 0.5 seconds left with a chance to put Georgia away in that matchup. He missed the first of a one-and-one, keeping the game tied.
Suddenly, a fan threw a stuffed bulldog onto the court. That error in judgement by the fan resulted in a technical foul and brought Mississippi State back to the line to shoot free throws and win the game.
This will be the second meeting between Ole Miss and Georgia this season. The Rebels won the last matchup in Athens 80-64. In that first game, the Rebels leaned heavily on Breein Tyree who tied his career high for 31 points. Tyree is averaging 18.4 points per game, third in the SEC. Terence Davis is not far behind him at sixth in the SEC with 15.7 points per game.
Rebounding will be a key factor in this game. While the Rebels have struggled with rebounds on both sides of the ball all season, the Bulldogs lead the SEC in defensive rebounds, averaging 39.6 per game.
The last time these teams met, Ole Miss held Georgia to 23 defensive rebounds. Bruce Stevens was a big part of that, recording 9 boards, a team high. Stevens also played a major role in the Rebels’ win over Missouri last Saturday, coming off the bench to led the team with 17 points.
Georgia has struggled mildly this year. After the heartbreaking home loss on Wednesday night, the Bulldogs currently sit at 10-16 with a dismal 1-12 record in conference play. They are also 0-7 on the road in SEC games.
Nicolas Claxton is the biggest threat on the Bulldogs’ squad. He leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. Even with Claxton as Georgia’s star, the Rebels will still have to keep their eyes on Rayshaun Hammonds, the Bulldogs’ other leading scorer.
A win against Georgia would help Ole Miss on the path back to the No. 4 spot in the SEC. Finishing fourth would give the Rebels a double bye going into the SEC tournament.
With only five games left in the regular season, including those against Kentucky and Tennessee, this is an important game in the final stretch. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at The Pavilion.
