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Ole Miss made getting the NCAA Tournament more difficult in a 87-85 overtime loss to Indiana State on Saturday. The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic was supposed to be an opportunity for the Rebels to get a quality win and some RPI help from playing strong teams like Arizona or Miami, but to do it Ole Miss had to get through its 1st round game against underdog Indiana State. The Rebels didn't get it done despite a game-high 27 points from Marshall Henderson, who was 10 of 23 overall and shot 7-for-16 from 3-point range.
Henderson did all Ole Miss could ask of him, but he didn't get enough help from Jarvis Summers or Nick Williams who were a combined 4 of 18 shooting and 1-for-6 from 3-point range.
Another key difference in the 2-point loss was free throws. The Rebels were just 7 of 13 (53%) from the free throw line while ISU was 18 of 24 (75%).
Reginald Buckner and Murphy Holloway each had double-doubles.
Ole Miss couldn't miss in the early going and opened a 24-14 lead. Henderson was 3-for-3 from 3-point range and it looked like the Rebels could run away with it. But then head coach Andy Kennedy sat Henderson, for reasons unknown, and Indiana State began a 23-3 run from which Ole Miss would never fully recover. Maybe Henderson was gassed or perhaps he had missed an assignment and Kennedy wanted him to think about it. There was probably some good reason for sitting Henderson, but whatever it was, sitting the Rebels' best scoring threat resulted in the onset of basketballs clanging off the basket like a bad bell choir at a church Christmas pageant. Ole Miss went from hot to ice cold, and Indiana State took full advantage and went on a game-deciding scoring tear. Once Henderson re-entered the game it it took him a while to get going again. And then it was too late.
There are plenty of other reasons why Ole Miss lost the game, but sitting hot-handed Henderson in the 1st half seemed like the turning point from which the Rebels never could bounce back.
The end result is the Rebels now play a consolation game today against San Francisco (2 p.m. ESPNU), which won't help the RPI. Getting to the NCAA Tournament isn't going to be easy, but then again it never is.
Official recap and box score linked here.