Ole Miss and LSU squared off in Oxford, in a game that could decide who finishes last in the SEC. Both programs have been subject to turmoil this season, so many wondered which team would pull this one out. Ole Miss answered the call.
On the morning of Friday, Feb. 24, head coach Kermit Davis was fired and assistant coach Win Case took over. This kind of quick, mid-season turnaround is difficult in any sport. Many logistics go into a leadership transition, but Case and the players made it look seamless.
The Rebels beat the Tigers 82-69 behind former Duke Blue Devil Jaemyn Brakefield and his 23-point, 10-rebound double-double. Besides Brakefield, the rest of the Rebels filled out the box score.
Myles Burns, Matthew Murrell and Amaree Abram scored in double figures, while TJ Caldwell and James White just missed the mark with nine points each.
The offense as a whole was the highlight of the game for Ole Miss. The team shot 55% from the field and just under 43% from behind the arc. Probably the most impressive stat, though, is the Rebels shooting a perfect 100% from the free throw line.
The defense was no slouch, either. Ole Miss held LSU under 70 points on less than 45% from the field and sub 27% from three-point range. The box score does not accurately represent the havoc players like Burns and Caldwell caused, but LSU felt the pressure all night.
Ole Miss has sat comfortably in the bottom half of the SEC in offense and defense for most of this season, but against LSU, the Rebels put together their best collective performance.
This may have been one of the most well-rounded games Ole Miss has played this season, but it did not start in the most promising of ways.
The early parts of the first half looked sloppy and disorganized, similar to the rest of the season. There was no flow in the offense, nor was there any intensity on defense. However, this all changed when Burns and Caldwell strung together a pair of transition dunks that lit a fire under the rest of the team.
As a team, Ole Miss outscored LSU 25-11 in the final nine minutes of the first half.
This win is extra special because someone would have to go back to Jan. 24, 2022, to find the last time Ole Miss won a home SEC game. Tonight, a year-long drought ended, which many will see as the first step of the Rebels’ rebuild.
Ole Miss takes on the Texas A&M Aggies, a Top-25 team, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 8:00 p.m. CST in the SJB Pavilion. The game will air on ESPNU.
