Riley ComdenThe Rebels bounced back after a not-so-impressive performance against Mississippi State this past weekend to take down No. 24 ranked Missouri for the second time this season on Tuesday night, 60-53. Mizzou gave the Rebels a run for their money, but ultimately, the team could not find a way to win. The Rebels are now 3-0 against top 25 teams this season.
“That’s one of the best ones we’ve ever had in the three short years I’ve been here,” head coach Kermit Davis said in the press conference. “We beat a real determined Missouri team … To do what we did in the second half was huge.”
Ole Miss is now ranked above Missouri in the SEC, sitting at No. 6 while Missouri is now ranked at No. 7. The Rebels are 13-9 so far this season with eight wins and seven losses in conference play. Mizzou falls to 14-7 on the season with an even seven wins and seven losses in conference.
Missouri had lost three of their last four games before Tuesday’s matchup, one of which was to Ole Miss.
Overall, Ole Miss played better as a team with eight out of nine players scoring for the Rebels. In addition, the Rebels shot 38.2% from the field and an impressive 78.9% from the line. Junior guard Jarkel Joiner shot 100% from the free-throw line going eight for eight.
Senior guard Devonate Shuler led the Rebs with 14 points and three rebounds. Forward Romello White, sophomore Luis Rodriguez and Joiner all had 10 points. White had nine big rebounds, while Rodriguez had three, and Joiner had four. Junior KJ Buffen also added seven points and five rebounds. Additionally, the Rebels outscored the Tigers in the paint, 26-24.
The Rebel defense forced 13 turnovers and five steals. Ole Miss outrebounded Missouri with 41-32. Moreover, Mizzou only shot 35.1% from the field and only made it to the line 11 times. In the last match between the Rebels and the Tigers, Mizzou shot 48.9% from the field, but the Tigers just couldn’t seem to get the ball through the net in their second game against the Rebels this season. Also in the last matchup on Feb. 10, Ole Miss won easily with a score of 80-59 at home in the Pavilion.
The Rebels’ win over Missouri comes on the heels of a ten point loss to in-state rival Mississippi State. The Rebels had one the previous four games before losing to the Bulldogs.
The Ole Miss basketball team still sits in the “first four out” group of teams to make the NCAA tournament in March according to ESPN. The rebels has two wins and four losses against quadrant one teams.
Ole Miss stays on the road this week and heads to Vanderbilt this Saturday to take on the Commodores, who are ranked last in the SEC with a 6-12 record. Vanderbilt only has two conference wins so far this season. Tipoff starts at 2:30 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network.
