.JPG) |
| Undefeated TCU is coming to Tad Smith Coliseum tonight at 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU) |
Ole Miss basketball, which already struggles to get good support in the football crazed SEC, was left for dead in November. Andy Kennedy is Mr. November. His teams have historically whipped non-conference cupcakes and gotten the fan base excited about what could be, so Kennedy was dumbfounded in his post game press conference after a loss to the Buccaneers.
Fortunately, Ole Miss was able to erase the terrible start with a surprisingly good showing in the Emerald Coast Classic last week.
The Rebels, predicted to lose to both Creighton and Cincinnati, won both games and came home with a big yellow Florida trophy. Both of those teams went to the NCAA tournament last year.
The Rebels are getting it done with a deep rotation of players. They rank 19th in the nation in bench minutes, and Kennedy seems content to keep that up.
Those two wins were an enormous relief, but the season is still young and there isn't an "easy" game on the schedule for a while. Undefeated TCU is coming to Tad Smith Coliseum tonight at 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU). The Rebels will then take a long flight to face the Oregon Ducks in Eugene on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. CT (Fox Sports 1). Winning those two would be huge boosts to an NCAA tournament resume that seemed irrelevant to even discuss just a few weeks ago.
All stats retrieved from kenpom.com.
By Tyler Slay @slaytyler
The Rebels, predicted to lose to both Creighton and Cincinnati, won both games and came home with a big yellow Florida trophy. Both of those teams went to the NCAA tournament last year.
Another Big Win Tonight!! #EmeraldCoastChamps #WeAre1 pic.twitter.com/fqpNY27fak
— Ole Miss Basketball (@OleMissMBB) November 30, 2014
There are 345 teams in NCAA Division I basketball. The Rebels rank 160th in effective field goal percentage (eFG%) on offense. Effective field goal percentage is the most important statistical factor in basketball, and winning that battle will usually lead to winning games. The defense ranks 22nd in allowed eFG% and 84th in points allowed per game. Defense is making up for the struggles on offense. The Rebels are getting it done with a deep rotation of players. They rank 19th in the nation in bench minutes, and Kennedy seems content to keep that up.
Those two wins were an enormous relief, but the season is still young and there isn't an "easy" game on the schedule for a while. Undefeated TCU is coming to Tad Smith Coliseum tonight at 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU). The Rebels will then take a long flight to face the Oregon Ducks in Eugene on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. CT (Fox Sports 1). Winning those two would be huge boosts to an NCAA tournament resume that seemed irrelevant to even discuss just a few weeks ago.
All stats retrieved from kenpom.com.
By Tyler Slay @slaytyler