Ole Miss drops its fourth game in a row to the Auburn Tigers in what could have been a season-saving win for the Rebels. Ole Miss came up short 82-73, but this was another outing where the Rebels could not duplicate a very productive first half.
The Rebels went into halftime with a 35-34 lead against a Top25 team for the second time in four games, and it has become clear that this team struggles to close out games.
The writing was on the wall when Ole Miss came up short against Oklahoma in the ESPN Invitational, but to see those issues continue is worrisome for this program.
This team has the pieces and potential to be dangerous in any matchup on the schedule, but there are many hurdles between Ole Miss and basketball relevance.
Obviously, Ole Miss has a blueprint in place against these top-ranked teams.
No one holds halftime leads against the likes of Tennessee and Auburn on accident, but there is a massive gap in how Ole Miss plays in the first half versus how they perform in the second half.
It seems as though the Rebels run out of gas in big games. Whether there is a lack of adjustments from Ole Miss, a plethora of adjustments from opposing coaches or just straight up getting outplayed in second halves, the Rebels have to figure out how to string together 40 minutes of winning basketball.
The saying goes, “defense wins championships,” but offense wins games, and Ole Miss has to figure out how to outscore teams to take the pressure off its defense.
Coming into the season, everyone knew Ole Miss would hang its hat on the defensive end of the ball, but many people could not have envisioned just how stagnant the offense would turn out.
Ole Miss ranks 12th in the SEC in points per game, 13th in three-point percentage and assists per game and 12th in total field goal percentage.
On the other hand, the Rebels rank eighth in rebounds and steals per game and fifth in blocks per game. The defense will always be there for a Kermit Davis-coached team, but he and his players need to make some changes if they want to turn this season around.
The evidence shows that the Rebels have to find a way to make the offense catch up with the defense. Ole Miss relies too heavily on Matthew Murrell, who, granted, is a great player, but he cannot do it all by himself.
This game, like the Tennessee game, slipped through the Rebels’ fingertips. However, it is best to leave the past in the past, and it is games like these that Ole Miss needs to learn from and improve on.
Ole Miss takes on Georgia next on Saturday Jan. 14 at 12 p.m. CST in the SJB Pavilion. Now, more than ever, the Rebels need the support from their fans, so show up to boost this squad past the Georgia Bulldogs.
