On Wednesday, the 12-8 Rebels fell to a Texas A&M team that came into the Pavilion with just ten wins. Today, they take on the #5 Baylor Bears with a 19-1 overall record for the SEC/BIG 12 Challenge.
This week saw top-ranked Villanova fall along with other top 10 teams such as Kansas, Kentucky, FSU and more. The Rebels must clean up a few things if they want to continue to shake up the college basketball landscape.
In the loss to Texas A&M, it was clear that the Rebels were outgunned in the paint. The Aggies duo of Robert Williams and Tyler Davis were able to operate with ease under the basket, causing the Rebels a whole slew of problems. Williams and Davis combined for 35 points and 19 rebounds as the Rebels couldn’t find an answer all night. While they may not be threats on the offensive end, Marcanvis Hymon and Justas Furmanavicius’ height could help fuel a revamped Ole Miss interior defense against the Bears.
Sebastian Siaz fell short of a double-double on Tuesday, but still posted 19 points. Siaz had just seven rebounds. However, he averaged 11 boards per game. As the senior leader of this team, Siaz must have a big game on Saturday. Deandre Burnett will play in his third straight game after returning from an ankle injury. If he’s back to 100 percent, his scoring ability gives the Rebels a fighting chance, especially when coupled with the improved play of Terence Davis.
The Rebels shot efficiently against A&M, finishing just under 50 percent. If the Rebels can shoot with the same efficiency while also controlling the tempo of the game, they can improve their chances of coming out with a win. Baylor has limited opposing teams to 60.5 PPG, so finding a rhythm against them may prove to be a difficult task.
Coached by Scott Drew in his 14th season, the Bears come in as one of the nation’s top teams. Baylor narrowly escaped an upset earlier in the week against Texas Tech, so don’t expect them to come out and take this Rebel team lightly. Not that it’ll factor into the fold on Saturday, the Rebels and the Bears have met just once before, a Baylor victory over Ole Miss in 1970.
The Pavilion will play host to the matchup with tip-off at 5 p.m. ESPN2 will be televising the game, and the Ole Miss Radio Network will have the call as always. The came can also be seen on the WatchESPN app and heard on OleMissSports.com.
Steven Gagliano is a writer for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com.
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