Ole Miss Men’s Basketball’s “Throwback game at the Tad Pad” is one of the most popular games of the year, with fans showing out in droves to return to a place that holds many memories.
The Tad Smith Coliseum, also referred to as the Tad Pad, is the former home of the Ole Miss Basketball before it transitioned into the Sandy and John Black Pavillion. The Pavilion opened its doors on Jan. 7, 2016, with a win over Alabama. This year’s throwback game is against South Alabama.
The Jaguars are a decent team, heading into tonight’s game with a 1-1 record; four of these players have averaged double-digit points through just the first two games. South Alabama is good at equaling out the rebounding game, with a 50.7 rebounding percentage that places them 159th in the nation.
Standing at 152nd in the nation, Ole Miss is just above that at 51%. As a team, the Jaguars shoot 40% from the field and 31% from three. Their overall shooting has not been great, as they are 243rd in the nation in that statistic. South Alabama sits at 147th in the nation in assists per game with 13.5.
On the opposing side, the Ole Miss Rebels have a lot of new players and have started off the season at 2-0; their most recent win coming from a 66-64 nailbiter win over Grambling State.
The Rebels have three players averaging double digit points, with guard Jaylen “JuJu” Murray averaging 17 points through the first two games.
With an outstanding nine rebounds per game, forward Jaemyn Brakefield leads in this statistic. As a team, the Rebels are shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three. Their shooting percentage is 213th in the nation.
Both teams have glaring issues, but it is only November. Ole Miss has started games off slow, with the Rebels scoring 25 the entirety of the first half against Grambling State. This could easily be attributed to the high turnover of the roster, as many of the key contributors this season are new to the team.
One of the other issues that could haunt the Rebels later this season — though this does not mean it will be a concern against South Alabama — is the lack of a true center on the roster. Freshman John Bol is the only center on the team; he did not play at all in the previous game.
The Jaguars are coming off of their first win after defeating Nicholls 70-64. While South Alabama does not have any true centers, they do have six-foot-ten forward Julian Margrave, who has yet to get any real playing time this season.
South Alabama’s defense will be their downfall unless it suddenly clicks, which is a hard thing to do. The Rebels offense will continue to mesh together and grow as a team, which makes the sky the limit for Head Coach Chris Beard’s team.
The game will be at the Tad Pad on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN and ESPN+.
The Rebels will face Colorado State at the Landers Center in Southaven, Miss. on Friday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
