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| Andy Kennedy needs this road win |
It's only December, and it may not sound like a big game, but today's road match with Middle Tennessee State could be a determining factor in whether Ole Miss finally makes it to the NCAA Tournament.
Tip-off between Ole Miss (6-0) and MTSU (6-2) is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN 3.
It is a BIG game.
The Blue Raiders beat the Rebels 68-56 in Southaven last December. Murphy Holloway was injured that night, and nothing went right. It was the middle game of a 3-game skid that probably cost the Rebels an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
Now Ole Miss has to take on Middle Tennessee on its home floor, and the Blue Raiders have the core of last year's team back, including sharp shooter Raymond Cintron, who undid the Rebels with his 18 points and four 3-pointers.
But this isn't last year's Ole Miss team. The Rebels are 2nd in the nation in scoring with 87 points per game and are holding opponents to 34-percent field goal percentage. Marshall Henderson leads the team with 17 points per game, and big men Holloway (16 ppg, 10.3 reb.) and Reggie Buckner (9.8 ppg, 6.4 reb.) control the front court.
They'll have their hands fully in their first road game of the season against the Blue Raiders, whose only two losses came against Florida and Akron.
It's a critical game for Ole Miss. When you consider that the Rebels are a perennial just-outside-the-bubble team one loss can be the difference between finally getting to the NCAA Tournament or heading back to the NIT. A road win against an MTSU team that will probably win 20 games this year would be good for Ole Miss' resume, but a loss would put a nasty blue smudge on it.
What to watch:
Henderson's shooting percentage. Against Rutgers Henderson was just 4 or 13 from the field and 3 of 12 from the 3-point line. He still made three 3-pointers and led the team in scoring with 18 points, but Henderson needs to get those percentages up.
Free throws from Holloway and Buckner. The two big men were a combined 7 of 20 from the free throw line against Rutgers Saturday. Since they're the guys underneath and the most likely to get fouled Ole Miss needs them to do better. A percentage like that could cost the Rebels a game eventually.