Ole Miss men’s basketball is looking to stop a four-game losing streak tonight, as it plays host to Southeastern Conference foe Alabama. The Rebels were once 7-3 in conference play and had a two-game lead for third place in the SEC standings. Now, at 7-7, Ole Miss is in a seven-way tie for fourth.
“I have never seen it,” head coach Andy Kennedy said. “Everything else is still up for grabs as it relates to how teams play down the stretch.”
And Ole Miss (16-11, 7-7 SEC) begins the final stretch with Alabama (11-16, 5-9). Alabama sits 11th in the SEC standings, two games back of that seven-way tie. The Crimson Tide would love to jump up at least one spot in the standings, as seeds 11-14 of the SEC tournament play in the first round, while seeds five through 10 get a bye.
The top four seeds get a double bye, which is what Ole Miss is playing for. Currently, the Rebels would win the seven-way tiebreaker, but with two weeks’ worth of games left, there is a lot to be determined.
But Ole Miss needs to find its footing. Losers of four straight, Kennedy’s team has fallen off of the NCAA tournament bubble, and now, Kennedy would just like to see a win.
“It’s been two weeks since we have won a game,” Kennedy said. “It’s not a good feeling. I want our guys to share that sentiment and look forward to having the next opportunity.”
But Alabama is the team that started this losing streak, as the Rebels fell 67-64. Trevor Releford was key to that Alabama win. Not only did he make the game-winning three with under a second on the clock, Releford also scored 14 of Alabama’s final 16 points. He assisted on the only basket he didn’t score.
“He’s a first-team all-league player,” Kennedy said. “They have their ups and downs, as we have all had. If a few games had gone the other way in Alabama’s favor, he would be in the conversation for most valuable player in the league simply because of what he means to their team.”
Releford is scoring 19 points per game; he scored 26 against Ole Miss. No one else is averaging double figures for Alabama, although Shannon Hale is scoring 10.4 points per game in conference play.
In the last game Alabama played, an 80-73 home win over Missouri, Levi Randolph showed out with 33 points. It was only the third SEC game in which Alabama’s leading scorer was not Releford.
Alabama has been hapless outside of Tuscaloosa this season. The Crimson Tide are 0-12 in road or neutral-site games. That should bode well for Ole Miss, but even a win won’t erase what the last two weeks have done to Ole Miss’ NCAA tournament hopes.
“It’s easy to look back and live in the world of would have, could have, should have,” Kennedy said. “You can see the finish line. You have two weeks left in the regular season leading to Atlanta. We know we have five more games. How we play in those five games will determine what happens next.”
The game will start at 7 p.m. in the Tad Smith Coliseum. There will be no television broadcast, but the game can be seen online via Watch ESPN.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @Tyler_RSR and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
