Ole Miss Falls to No. 1 Auburn, But Key Stats Offer Hope for Rematch

No. 23 Ole Miss had its chances to upset No. 1 Auburn at home on Saturday, but an 8-3 run by the Tigers in the final 75 seconds sealed the Rebels’ fate in a 92-82 loss.

It wasn’t a game Ole Miss should’ve won. It could’ve, though. The Rebels’ largest lead was just four points early in the first half, but they never trailed Auburn by more than 10 points.

With 1:15 left in the game, Ole Miss trailed 84-79 and could’ve made more than 1-of-4 field goals. For instance, if Jaylen Murray makes his three-point jumper with 34 seconds on the clock, the score would’ve been 86-82 and who knows what happens after that.

So, the Rebels could’ve won and added another win against a top five team. But they’ll get another chance on February 26 when Ole Miss heads to Auburn, Ala.

Barring an upset, a major injury or some other catastrophe, Auburn will be the No. 1 team in the nation later this month when the Rebels visit. And there are few stats from Saturday’s game that should Ole Miss fans some hope.

Free Throws

Ole Miss took 35 trips to the free throw line and made 24, which is below their season average of 73 percent. If the Rebels can make more free throws in the next meeting, their chances would improve.

Points in Paint

The Rebels didn’t lead in many of the stat categories, but they did outscore Auburn 34-28 in the paint.

Turnovers

Ole Miss will have a few games to work on improving certain areas and turnovers should be one of them. Against Auburn, Ole Miss had more steals (9-6) and blocks (5-3) but still lost the turnover battle 12-9. The Rebels also scored more points off turnovers, 17-16, so eliminating their own turnovers would further improve their chances.