Mississippi guard Jarvis Summers prepares to throw the ball in a game earlier this season. (File Photo | Ariel Cobbert)
With their backs up against the wall, a reeling Ole Miss basketball team entered Coleman Coliseum in a must win situation. It was senior night for Alabama as they were looking to put a positive end to a frustrating regular season.
The first half was much of the same in regards to the recent struggles the Rebels have had. The zone of the Crimson Tide kept the Rebels pretty stagnant through the first 20 minutes of play. The Rebels offensive struggles continued as they entered the locker room down 30-27 with their NCAA tournament hopes hanging in the balance.
Ole Miss responded in the second half in a big way.
At the nine minute mark, senior Ladarius “Snoop” White made a three-pointer from the right wing. Senior point guard Jarvis Summers then immediately stole the basketball at half court and dished it to Snoop on the left wing who then buried another three pointer, forcing Alabama to call a timeout. The sequence gave the Rebels a 55-46 lead forcing Alabama to call a timeout. The Rebels never looked back from there as they scored 55 second half points en route to a crucial 82-74 victory.
A game in which Ole Miss had to win, the guard play rose to the occasion. White and junior guard Stefan Moody combined for 44 points, while Summers provided seven assists and no turnovers on the night. Say what you want about the shooting struggles of Summers, but seven assists and no turnovers is huge on the road coming from your starting point guard.
Probably the biggest story of the night was the Ole Miss bench, which provided 36 points on the way to a big win.
The win has a large impact on Ole Miss’s NCAA tournament chances. If the Rebels take care of Vanderbilt at home on Saturday, it will essentially punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The win also vaulted the Rebels to a tie for third in the SEC standings and back in contention for the double-bye in the SEC tournament. The Rebels sit a half game ahead of LSU, who has yet to play this week and a full game ahead of Georgia, who fell just short of Kentucky on Tuesday night.
Though LSU owns the tiebreaker over Ole Miss and get Tennessee at home on Wednesday, they still have to make a trip to Arkansas to finish the regular season on Saturday, which will be a tall task to say the least.
Assuming Ole Miss takes care of business on Saturday, they will earn a top four seed and a double-bye in the SEC tournament. With LSU’s remaining schedule, the Rebels also have a pretty good chance of earning a three-seed and avoiding Kentucky until a potential championship game matchup, if they were to advance that far.
Barring a letdown on Saturday, Ole Miss will likely land anywhere from a seven to 10 seed in the NCAA tournament. The strong performance from the backcourt on Tuesday is a positive sign for Ole Miss heading towards the postseason.
In the past when mid to lower seeds have made a run in the NCAA tournament, more often than not, they have had great guard play with a prolific scorer that can take over a game.
The Rebels have just that in Moody. Moody’s scoring ability accompanied by two veteran leaders in White and Summers will be a huge advantage to the Rebels in March. A team that shoots a high percentage from the free throw line and has great guard play can be a lethal combination in the postseason.
Ole Miss still has work to do to close out the regular season, but Tuesday’s win is not only a gigantic sigh of relief, but it’s also a positive sign towards the postseason.
