The Ole Miss Rebels (17-11) return home Saturday to face the University of Missouri Tigers (7-20). Led by strong performances by senior power forward Sebastian Saiz and dynamic freshman point guard Breein Tyree, the Rebels pulled off a dramatic 87-82 win in overtime against cross-state rival Mississippi State earlier this week.
Now, with NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, the Rebels are hoping to peak at just the right time. A win against SEC basement dweller, Missouri, is an absolute must for head coach Andy Kennedy.
Here are a few key points to look out for this weekend:
Andy Kennedy (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
Building a legacy
With his win against State this week, coach Kennedy, now taking part in his 11th consecutive season at the helm of Ole Miss, officially moved into 19th place on the SEC all-time coaching wins list with 229. Even more impressive, prior to his hiring, Ole Miss had posted four consecutive losing seasons.
Since Kennedy arrived, all 11 seasons have been winning seasons. With 250 coaching victories under his belt, Kennedy has seen his fair share of success, but recently, fans have begun to question his ability to lead the Rebels into postseason play. Only time will tell, but for now, Kennedy is unquestionably the man for the job here in Oxford.
Toothless Tigers?
On paper, Mizzou shouldn’t be much of a match for Saiz, Davis and the rest of Ole Miss’ high-powered lineup. In terms of RPI, a combined measure of strength of schedule and results, the Rebels rank 66th nationally, while the Tigers come in at a lowly 242. Mizzou has lost three straight games and is a thoroughly disappointing 1-10 away from Columbia, Missouri this year. Even bleaker, the Tigers rank last in the SEC in scoring per game (67.3) and field-goal percentage (39.4 percent). Rough. One of Missouri’s few bright spots this year has been junior forward Jordan Barnett. The 6-foot-7-inch St. Louis native is averaging 12.5 points per game and should challenge Saiz at the post.
Free throws are free points
If Saturday’s game comes down to the wire, Mizzou would do well not to send Ole Miss’ free-throw shooters to the line. The Rebels are averaging a whopping .822 (180-219) free-throw percentage over the last eight games. Over the course of the season, they’ve shot 76 percent from the line and lead the nation in made free throws with 562. Deandre Burnett, a junior transfer from the University of Miami, started off the season with 25 made free throws in a row and now ranks second in the SEC (163-182, 89.6 percent) from the charity stripe.
Terence Davis (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
Don’t forget about Davis
Terence Davis, the sophomore from Southaven, is heating up at just the right time. After dropping 33 points on LSU last week, the 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 12 points against State Tuesday, good enough for his fifth double-double of the year. Last season, Davis averaged only 1.8 points per game, but that number has jumped up to 14.6 this year. That 12.8 ppg jump is higher than anyone else in the SEC. Although he’s seen his fair share of inconsistency on the court this year, Davis is averaging 17.7 ppg over the last four games and can be counted on to show up against Mizzou.
When: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017
Tipoff Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: The Pavilion
