After what head coach Kermit Davis referred to as “an old fashion kicking” following a 74-53 defeat on the road at the hands of Alabama, the No. 20 Rebels, 14-4 (4-2), aim to rebound versus No. 24 Iowa State in the Big 12/SEC challenge on Saturday.
This series has been dominated by the Big 12, which boasts a 3-1-1 record, since it was established in the 2013-14 season. The Rebels are 0-5 in this annual battle between two of the top conferences in college hoops but will seek to put a halt to that slide in an 11 a.m. tip-off inside The Pavilion.
Ole Miss hopes to put an unsatisfactory performance in the rearview mirror after scoring a season low 53 points on the road against Alabama.
“I didn’t see any emotion,” Kermit Davis said following Tuesday’s loss in Tuscaloosa. “I would have loved to see it.”
The stars for Ole Miss, Breein Tyree and Terence Davis, could not get into a rhythm offensively their last time out against the Crimson Tide. Terence Davis went just 3-for-7 from the floor scoring 10 points. It was an uncharacteristic outing for the senior, who is averaging 15.8 points per game. Terence Davis’ frustration boiled over after a missed three early in the second half and he was hit with a technical foul that ultimately contributed to him fouling out with over 15 minutes remaining.
Tyree, who is averaging 17 points per game, finished with just 9 points. Getting those two going early will be paramount for Ole Miss in order to keep pace with a potent Iowa State offense averaging 79 points per game.
The Cyclones, who sit at 14-5 (4-3), good for 4th in the Big 12, will be making the roughly 700-mile trek to Oxford with similar hopes of bouncing back after a tough loss on the road to Kansas on Monday. The Cyclones are battle tested this month, however, after knocking off then-No. 5 Kansas on Jan. 5 and later stealing a road victory against then-No. 8 Texas Tech.
Iowa State will lean on its redshirt senior guard, Marial Shayok, who sits atop the Big 12 in scoring with 19.8 points a night. Shayok is just one of four Cyclones who enter Saturday’s contest scoring in double-digits. The other Cyclone of note in this group is forward Michael Jacobson. The 6-foot-9-inch forward is putting up 13.1 points while also leading the team in rebounds with 6.4 boards per game.
“Iowa State may be the best offensive team in college basketball with the way they shoot threes and play,” Kermit Davis said. “It is going to be one heck of a matchup and we will have to be at our very best. We will have a quick turnaround, and our guys will pick their heads back up.”
This matchup marks the first time The Pavilion will host a top-25 clash. Ole Miss hopes to bolster its already staunch resume with another high caliber non-conference win as March slowly creeps into the frame.
