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| Andy Kennedy is 5-10 against MSU. |
Where: Tad Smith Coliseum
TV: SEC-TV (Where to watch in your area)
The good thing about basketball season is that Ole Miss doesn't have to wait an entire year for redemption after losing to Mississippi State. The Rebels lost 76-72 to the Bulldogs on January 11 in Starkville. Marshall Henderson didn't play that day due to suspension, but he easily could have been the difference. Not that we'll ever know. Ole Miss (13-5, 4-1 SEC) has won three straight since, and is in a tie for 2nd place in the SEC. That Starkville loss could prove a distance memory if the Rebels, 12-point favorites over State, play like they should today.
At stake is state pride and NCAA Tournament buzz.
With three straight conference wins Ole Miss is on precipice of creating some NCAA buzz, but that buzz disappear really fast with a loss to the Bulldogs.
At this point in the season the Rebels need to build a savings account full of wins. This is another one of those years where the SEC is just not very good. The fewer conference losses the better. A 2nd loss to Mississippi State would be a huge black mark on Ole Miss' Tournament resume. Ole Miss currently has an RPI of 61. The Bulldogs have an RPI of 126. The Rebels can explain away the earlier MSU loss by virtue of it being a road game without its leading scorer, but a home loss to the Bulldogs with Henderson on the floor would be a big black mark. Ole Miss needs to win this one.
Plus, nobody wants to see this again:
Mississippi State (13-5, 3-2 SEC) enters today's game having won its last two games, 81-72 over Texas A&M and 82-74 over Auburn. Craig Sword leads the Bulldogs with 14.5 ppg. Sword scored 15 points against Ole Miss on January 11, exclusively off of free throws. The Rebels will have to do a better job of denying him lanes to drive to the basket today.
Henderson (18.7 ppg) and Jarvis Summers (17.9 ppg) are consistent scorers for the Rebels. The likely difference in today's game will be whether one or more of Aaron Jones, Anthony Perez, Sebastian Saiz or Snoop White contribute in a big way. Saiz scored 20 in the win over LSU. Perez poured in 22 in the win at South Carolina and scored 13 more against Vanderbilt. If a player other than Henderson and Summers is successful today the Rebels should win easily. If it's left to Henderson and Summers to do it alone the game will likely come down to the final possession or two.
An energized sold out home crowd inside Tad Smith Coliseum should help the Rebels' efforts. It's small, it's old, has squirrels and leaks, but Tad Smith is also very loud when the fans are into the game. If Ole Miss can give them something to cheer about early that fan noise could really help the Rebels.