Ole Miss Men’s and Women’s basketball teams will square off against two tough ACC teams this week in the ACC/SEC Challenge — Miami and Notre Dame, respectively. The men’s team plays on Dec. 2 and the women’s team plays on Dec. 4.
Men
Head coach Chris Beard and Rebels (5-2) will take on the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 2 at 8 p.m.
After starting out 5-0, the Rebels dropped both their matchups in the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., last week, losing by a combined six points to Iowa and Utah. The Rebels were inefficient from three in both losses, shooting just 35% against Iowa and 29% against Utah.
Ole Miss is led by a big three of Malik Dia, AJ Storr and Ilias Kamardine. Kamardine is the leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game, and also leads the Rebels in assists with 4.7 per game. Storr is second on the team in scoring with 14.9 PPG.
Inconsistency was Dia’s weakness this past week. He led the Rebels in scoring against the Utes with 17 but was practically nonexistent against the Hawkeyes a game prior with only two points in 16 minutes.
Transfer forward James Scott, despite his limited scoring abilities, remains a solid contributor. He leads the Rebels with 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Miami enters the game at 6-2 with losses against Florida and BYU, both of which are ranked teams. The Hurricanes are led by forward Malik Reneau, who averages 20.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Miami’s backcourt can score, too. Guards Tru Washington and Tre Donaldson both average over 13 points per game, and Washington shoots 38.1% from three. For reference, 40% is generally considered excellent.
Head coach Jai Lucas is in his first season with the team after serving as an assistant coach at Duke for three years. He took over from Jim Larrañaga, who led the Hurricanes to four Sweet Sixteen appearances before retiring in the middle of last season. In a press conference five months ago, Beard said he expects Lucas and the Hurricanes to come to play.
“Looking forward to the ACC Challenge,” Beard said in a press conference five months ago. “Miami coming to Oxford, home game. That’s an important thing for a lot of reasons. I want to try to have quality opponents for the season ticket holders. Coach (Jai) Lucas (is a) friend of mine. (I’ve) known him since he was a player and competed against him over the years — a lot of respect. … So, we know this about Miami — they’re going to be talented. They did a really good job recruiting the spring portal.”
Women
Coach Yolett McPhee‑McCuin and the No. 13 Lady Rebels will take on the No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. CT.
The Fighting Irish are 5-1. Their single loss was a 93-54 defeat against then-No. 14 Michigan. On Nov. 21, they inched past then-No. 11 USC, winning 61-59.
Fighting Irish forward Hannah Hidalgo is one of the best scorers in women’s college basketball. The Preseason AP First Team All-American averages 27 points per game despite only shooting 19.4% from three — last season, she shot 40% from beyond the arc.
Yet the Lady Rebels have proven that they are more than capable. Last week, they defeated Wisconsin and George Mason to win the Coast 2 Coast Classic in Daytona, Fla. They are 7-0, and all of their wins have been by nine points or more so far this season.
Still, the Fighting Irish should be a good test for the Lady Rebels, who have not played a ranked team yet this season. In fact, Wisconsin is the only Power 4 opponent they have faced so far.
Forward Cotie McMahon leads the team in scoring with 17.7 PPG, with fellow forward Christeen Iwuala right behind her with 17.4 PPG. They are the first teammates to both finish in double figures in scoring through the first seven games of a season this century. Iwuala also averages 9 rebounds per game.
