Rebel basketball is entering another weekend of SEC competition. The men’s team will host No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 1, and the women’s team will travel to Nashville on Feb. 2 to face No. 23 Vanderbilt.
Both teams are reaching the halfway mark in conference play and control their fate as tournament play approaches.
Men’s basketball
The Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team suffered three consecutive losses against Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Missouri after their huge road upset over then No. 4 Alabama, leaving their NCAA Tournament status up in the air.
Guard Sean Pedulla has been an asset to the team since his addition to the Ole Miss roster, leading the team in points per game, averaging 14.3. Alongside Pedulla is forward Malik Dia, who leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game.
Head coach Chris Beard and the Rebels must overcome costly turnovers and shooting struggles — which plagued them in their losses — in order to secure another ranked win and another conference win.
Hosting the No. 1 team in the nation will be no easy task for the Rebels. Auburn holds the most ranked wins in Division I basketball this season. Notable wins include No. 6 Tennessee, No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Iowa State.
Paving the way for the Tigers is forward Johni Broome. The 6-foot-10 senior from Plant City, Fla., leads the team in points and field goal percentage, shooting an average 53% from the field and earning 17.6 points per game. In their win over Missouri, Broome shot 69% from the field and contributed 24 points.
Another asset to the Tigers’ fiery offense is guard Chad Baker-Mazara, who has been with Auburn for two seasons. Mazara averages 12.8 points per game on top of a solid 49.7% shooting average from the field.
If the Rebels can make a strong impression early and play lockdown defense right out of the gate, Ole Miss can make a solid game out of it and give the best team in the nation a struggle.
The men will host No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m and can be streamed on ESPN.
Women’s basketball
As for the Lady Rebels, who also have faced recent defeat, the upcoming game against Vanderbilt should be a win. The Lady Rebels’ recent heartbreaker against No. 5 Texas, losing in the final seconds 61-58, slowed their winning momentum, but the NCAA Tournament still should be within reach. The women will travel to Athens, Ga. to play Georgia today at 5 p.m. and can be streamed on SEC Network.
Ole Miss is currently eighth in SEC play and remains unranked in the AP Top 25 Poll. Despite their recent loss against the Longhorns, Rebel players still provided solid performances. Guard Madison Scott contributed 17 points and five rebounds and star freshman guard Sira Thienou added 14 points and three steals.
At No. 23, the Commodores are in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 11 years. The Rebels need to keep an eye on sophomore forward Khamil Pierre. Pierre leads the team in points per game, averaging 21.9. Another star for Vanderbilt is guard Mikayla Blakes. The freshman from Somerset, N.J., led the Commodores to a 66-64 win over Alabama with 33 points, five rebounds and three steals.
If Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her team can effectively defend standouts like Blakes and limit the Commodores’ shooting percentage, they have a strong chance of securing another SEC win.
The women will first play at Georgia today at 5 p.m. The game can be streamed on SEC Network. The Vanderbilt game begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 and can be streamed on SEC Network.
Editor’s Note: This article was published prior to the Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team’s Jan. 29 match against Texas.
