The Rebels came into the game ranked No. 24 in the AP poll. Though Illinois is barely on the outside of the Top 25, the team still came in with high expectations after earning a three-seed in last year’s NCAA March Madness tournament.
However, with AP third-team All-American guard Terrence Shannon Jr. getting drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Illinois’s roster, though still talented, is not what it used to be — and in this game, it showed.
The game was only an exhibition and served to benefit CASA of North Mississippi. The results did not officially count toward either teams’ win or loss totals.
The Rebels started out red-hot from the field, making their first five shots, three of which were three-pointers. Forward Malik Dia came out firing with eight points in the first five minutes.
Ole Miss played fast, capitalizing off Illini mistakes to score fast break points. Forward Jaemyn Brakefield, who came off the bench, caught a pair of lobs in transition. Forward Mikeal Brown-Jones also provided a jolt off the bench with a few strong finishes on the interior.
By the second TV timeout, the Rebels were up 26-10, and from there only continued to widen their lead. Brakefield and Dia kept scoring; Dia went three-for-three on three-pointers in the first half. Guard Jaylen “Juju” Murray buried a contested three from well beyond the arc.
The Illini continued to flounder offensively, with sloppy passes and ball-handling miscues leading to double-digit turnovers by the four-minute mark of the first half.
From there, Illinois managed to clean up their act, with a few hustle plays by guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn quelling the bleeding. This effort still was not enough, the Rebs led 51-35 at halftime.
Guard Dre Davis got hot after the half, scoring a pair of triples. The Illini succeeded in slowing down the Rebels, containing most of the offense to half-court. Back-to-back threes by forward Will Riley kept the game interesting.
The combination of Dia’s turnaround jumpers and Brakefield’s consistent interior finishing kept the Rebels in control. Highly-anticipated freshman forward John Bol also cracked the stat sheet with a pair of baskets.
The Rebels won 91-74. Ole Miss never trailed and led for 39 minutes and 45 seconds.
What’s next?
The team will look to carry this momentum into their season opener against Long Island on Nov. 4 in the Pavilion.
