Can the Rebels win their first SEC game this season?
Missouri will bring its 2-0 SEC record into the Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford on Saturday against an Ole Miss team who can’t seem to get a win against a quality opponent.
The Rebels (8-7, 0-2 SEC) have had some close games against power conference opponents, but the closest thing it has to a quality win is a victory over 7-7 Memphis who is No. 104 in the latest NET rankings. Ole Miss sits at No. 99 in the NET while Missouri sits at No. 69 (NICE).
Oddsmakers somehow have Ole Miss -1.5 in some sportsbooks, which is truly an interesting way to make or lose a ton of money. The Rebels and Chris Beard are still searching for a magic formula of a line-up to compete at a higher level. At times, one group of five players seem to catch lightning in a bottle and make runs, but it isn’t sustainable over 40 minutes. There are 10 players on this team that have seen time in every game this season, and 12 players with action in more than half of the games.
The Tigers (12-3, 2-0 SEC) aren’t perfect either, however, but it at least has a top 25 win against Florida to open SEC play. Missouri followed that up with a road win at struggling Kentucky earlier this week. Four players on this team average double digit points per game, but the offense really runs through guard Mark Mitchell who is averaging 17.5 ppg in conference play.
Ole Miss forward Malik Dia has been the most consistent player thus far this season leading the team in scoring and rebounding. One player who has come on strong of late has been freshman Patton Pinkins who is averaging 16 points per game in the last three games. Pinkins has earned more minutes in those games and has produced with that opportunity.
The Rebels and Tigers tip off Saturday, Jan. 9 at 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network. It can be streamed on the ESPN app.
Category: General Sports
