Ole Miss Men’s Basketball is heading to the Sweet 16 to face No. 2 seed Michigan State on Friday, March 28 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
This matchup comes from the Rebels Second Round win over Iowa State, beating the Cyclones 91-78. The Rebels had another standout performance at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee that helped reach their first Sweet 16 berth since 2001.
Five Rebels reached double digit scoring.
First half
The Cyclones scored first with a layup from Nate Heise, but Sean Pedulla didn’t wait and put the Rebels on the board with a layup.
While the first few minutes were back-and-forth, the Rebels took off and went on a 20-5 run over eight minutes of play while the Cyclones suffered a scoring drought, missing 11 of their 12 shots when the Rebels were hot.
Curtis Jones led Iowa State with eight points and Joshua Jefferson finished the half with six rebounds. Milam Momcilovic, who led the Cyclones with 20 points in their First Round win over Lipscomb, got off to a slower start, ending the half shooting 1-8 in the paint and 0-4 beyond the arc.
Iowa State struggled in the half, ending the first 20 minutes going 12-32 and shooting 3-11 from beyond the arc. The Cyclones especially struggled in shots from the charity stripe compared to the Rebels; Ole Miss made all four of their free throws while Iowa State only made two of their five shots.
Malik Dia showed off for Ole Miss, shooting both of his threes, scoring 14 points and making five rebounds through the first half. Pedulla was not far behind with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists as the Rebels closed out the half leading the Cyclones 40-29.
Second half
The Cyclones took charge with the first points of the half, coming from a Dishon Jackson layup followed by a two-point tip shot. Ole Miss answered with a three-point jumper to keep the lead double digits for the Rebels.
Iowa State suffered another scoring drought, with no points on the board for nearly five minutes of play.
Jones found the net leading the Cyclones with 23 points and three shots beyond the arc. Jefferson led the game in rebounds with eight.
The Rebels’ Jaemyn Brakefield had another solid second half-performance, with 19 points and four rebounds.
Pedulla led Ole Miss with 20 points, three shots from beyond the arc, eight assists and four steals to send the Rebels to the Sweet 16.
Who’s Next?
The Rebels will face the winner of New Mexico and Michigan State on Friday, March 28 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Time and network have yet to be announced.
