Senior Devontae Shuler put up a career high of 31 points to lead the Rebels men’s basketball team to a 81-74 victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Feb. 13. The win improved Ole Miss’s winning streak to four, which is currently the longest winning streak in the SEC this season.
The Rebels now have an overall record of 12-8 with seven wins and six losses in the conference. South Carolina’s record falls to 5-9 on the season with only three conference wins and seven losses.
“Any time you can win on the road in this league, it’s great,” head coach Kermit Davis said in a press conference. “Our team showed a lot of poise. Really proud of our team.”
This was the seventh time this season that Shuler has put up 20 or more points in a game and also posted a season high of seven rebounds while adding four assists. Forward Romello White posted 14 points with five rebounds and one assist, while forward KJ Buffen had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Ole Miss shot 50% from the floor as a team, which put the Rebels at the third game in a row shooting 50% or better. As a team, the Rebels shot 34 for 44 from the line for a season high of free throws made.
The Rebels held the Gamecocks to shooting at just 40.4% from the field. Ole Miss forced 19 turnovers, 11 steals and had three big blocks. The Rebels were able to score 19 points off of turnovers and outscored the Gamecocks by two in the paint, 22-20.
The Rebels’ offense is finally catching up with their defense and playing solid games with lots of help from the bench. After these last four big wins, the Rebels have begun to be considered for the NCAA March Madness Tournament starting on March 10.
The Rebels now need to win their next game against LSU on Feb. 18, which was recently added to the schedule after being postponed due to COVID-19 earlier in the season. Ole Miss has five games left before the SEC Tournament starts.
The Ole Miss Rebels men’s basketball team will take on the LSU Tigers at home in the Pavilion this Thursday at 8 p.m., looking to extend its winning streak to five. The game will air live on ESPNU.
