Fresh off of successful non-conference campaigns, No. 24 Ole Miss will host Georgia on Saturday afternoon in each team’s first Southeastern Conference game.
The Rebels (11-2) are no stranger to hot starts, as coach Chris Beard had his team 13-0 last season before they missed the NCAA Tournament due to a 7-11 SEC record.
After winning 11 of 12 games to begin this season, Ole Miss dropped its latest game, 87-70 at Memphis, on Dec. 28. The Rebels trailed by just two points at halftime, but a rebounding disadvantage proved costly, as Memphis outrebounded Ole Miss 45-34 for the game.
Now preparing for an SEC slate that includes 11 current AP Top 25 teams, Beard knows his team’s physicality must improve.
“I think with our concerns, it’s no secret, it’s obvious we’ve got to figure out our rebounding game,” Beard said following the loss to Memphis. “We got outrebounded tonight, and I don’t think rebounding was Memphis’ strength. No doubt about it, that’s a concern of mine.”
Ole Miss, which fell seven spots in Monday’s poll release, is led by Sean Pedulla’s average of 14.7 points per game, followed by Jaylen Murray’s 13.2 and Matthew Murrell’s 11.7. Malik Dia paces the Rebels with 5.4 rebounds per contest, while Dre Davis averages 5.0.
For an Ole Miss program searching for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 and first tourney win in a decade, there will be no shortage of resume-boosting opportunities in league play, beginning on Saturday. The Rebels sit 39th in the NET rankings, while Georgia is 27th.
The Bulldogs (12-1) are off to their best start since 1930-31, when they began 13-0. Winners of seven straight games, Georgia almost saw its superb pre-conference stretch end the last time out, when it was on the verge of a loss before rallying for a win.
The Bulldogs trailed South Carolina State at home on Sunday by 17 points at halftime before taking the second half 55-31 en route to a 79-72 victory. Georgia hadn’t been challenged much during its winning streak, as it had earned double-digit wins in four of its six games before the South Carolina State matchup.
For coach Mike White, the most recent win could serve as a wake-up call ahead of SEC play.
“We didn’t give our crowd much to cheer for in the first 20,” White said of the South Carolina State win. “They had us on our heels offensively, and they hit a couple of contested threes with just a little bit of miscommunication. But our culture came through, it really did.”
Adding a spark off the bench for Georgia is Mount St. Mary’s transfer De’Shayne Montgomery, who has averaged 16 points per game since making his season debut on Dec. 19. Asa Newell adds 15.5 ppg, followed by Dakota Leffew (12.8), Silas Demary Jr. (12.4) and Tyrin Lawrence (10.7).
–Field Level Media
