With their hopes for an NCAA tournament at-large bid all but dead, the Ole Miss Rebels and coach Chris Beard are poised to take on Georgia in the second round of the SEC tournament tonight.
After a season-sustaining win against Texas in the opening round on Wednesday night, the Rebels aren’t worried about the future; they are playing for each other and for the present moment.
“For these guys to be playing this hard and this connected not only today in the SEC tournament, but really the last couple weeks of the season, I just think it’s a sign of their character and the way they were raised and just super appreciative of our players continuing to fight,” said Beard after the victory. “We didn’t come here to Nashville to win one game. We came here to win one game at a time.. still have belief in our locker room that we can make a run here.”
Ole Miss faces a familiar foe in the Georgia Bulldogs, having won an overtime thriller in Athens earlier this season. With less than a second left on the clock in overtime, freshman guard Patton Pinkins soared above the basket to tip-in a missed shot and lift the Rebels to a 97-95 victory over the then-nationally ranked Bulldogs.
Know the Foe
While the conference slate after the victory did not turn the way the Rebels had hoped, Georgia was able to pull together a solid resume and sit, according to most bracketologists, as a lock for the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs finished the season 22-9 with a 10-8 SEC record and a NET ranking of 31.
The Bulldogs have the league’s second ranked offense, averaging a whopping 90.4 points-per-game, led by sophomore guard Jeremiah Wilkinson who averages 17.3 ppg. Georgia also ranks second in the league in turnover margin, which is a key indicator of ball protection, with a positive 3.06 mark.
Beside the aforementioned Wilkinson the Bulldogs also receive large contributions from Blue Cain, who is second on the team in both points and rebounds per game, averaging 13.6 and 5.1 respectively. Marcus Millender also makes a large contribution to the humming offense, averaging 12 points.
What to Watch
Who steps up?
In the victory against Texas, Ole Miss was able to receive large contributions from its core of Malik Dia, AJ Storr and Ilias Kamardine. Will the upperclassmen continue to lead the way, or will underclassmen like Patton Pinkins and Eduardo Klafke be forced into larger roles?
Battle for the boards
Ole Miss and Georgia are both in the cellar of the SEC in rebounding margin. In a game where both teams come in with thin margins, the battle on the glass becomes that much more important.
Hope is a fickle, dangerous thing.
I know, I know it seems a bit melancholy, but sometimes the possible positive outcome is worth focusing on more than a crushing realism. The Rebels have to find a way to hold on to the bit of hope they have if they want to keep playing ball.
Where To Watch
The Rebels and Bulldogs will face off at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville tonight at 6 PM. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and broadcast on the Ole Miss Radio Network. Remember, stay here for the latest on all things about your Ole Miss Rebels!
