Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard
After a tough 86-70 loss at Oklahoma in their Southeastern Conference opener, the Ole Miss men’s basketball team returns home Wednesday night to face Arkansas at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
Ole Miss played competitively early in Norman but suffered from prolonged scoring droughts and defensive lapses that allowed the Sooners to run away with the game. Freshman guard Patton Pinkins, coming off a career-high 25 points, and senior Malik Dia will be relied on again as the Rebels attempt to pick up their first SEC win of the season.
“It’s another opportunity to defend our home floor and get back on track,” coach Chris Beard said. “We’ve got to be locked in on defense, protect the ball and play our brand of basketball for 40 minutes.”
Know The Foe
The Razorbacks enter Wednesday’s matchup ranked 15th in the country with an 11-3 record, including three wins over top-25 opponents. Arkansas comes to the SJB Pavilion seeking to build on its 86-75 victory over 21st-ranked Tennessee to open conference play.
Junior guard Darius Acuff leads Arkansas in scoring at 19.5 points per game, followed by Maleek Thomas at 15.4 points and Trevon Brazile at 13.2. The Razorbacks play an up-tempo style, pushing the pace in transition to take advantage of early shot-clock opportunities while using defensive pressure to create turnovers. Defensively, they are aggressive in trapping ball handlers and defending the perimeter, which will force the Rebels to make clean passes and limit miscues.
“Arkansas is a well-coached, disciplined team that takes advantage of mistakes,” Beard said. “We’re going to have to protect the ball, stay connected defensively and play with pace.”
What To Watch
Can the Rebels control the ball?
Ole Miss struggled with turnovers and empty possessions in its SEC opener. They committed seven turnovers and gave up 14 second chance points against the Sooners. Arkansas ranks third in the league in the assist/turnover ratio and fifth in steals per game, limiting turnovers has to be a point of emphasis for the Rebels
Points in the paint
The Rebels were outscored 18-36 in the paint against the Sooners. Coach Beard will want his team to be more aggressive attacking the rim and making the Razorbacks play physical on defense. At the same time, Ole Miss must do a better job defending the interior and preventing Arkansas from generating high-percentage shots near the basket.
Have the Rebels found their rotation?
Coming in to the conference opener, the Rebels had not found consistency in their rotation having played most of their bench almost every game. Against the Sooners, Ole Miss still rotated in twelve players; but the Rebels had six who each had over twenty minutes on the floor. Watch for Coach Beard to continue to shrink the number of players in his rotation.
Notes
The Rebels are 7-3 at the SJB Pavilion in SEC home openers.
Malik Dia has posted double-digit points in five of the Rebels’ last six games.
Patton Pinkins’ effort against Oklahoma was the first time an Ole Miss freshman has scored 25+ since Blake Hinson in the 2018-19 season.
The Rebels and Razorbacks last faced off in the second round of the SEC tournament, an 83-80 Rebel victory.
