Three keys for Ole Miss against Sam Houston State

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss begins a five-game home stand tonight (7 p.m. CT, ESP3) against Sam Houston State. The Rebels (4-4) have lost three in a row – including two tough ones in overtime – and head coach Andy Kennedy is looking for his Ole Miss team to get back in the win column.

The Bearkats (5-4) have had a week off, last playing against then-No. 16 Baylor, falling to the Bears 84-56. Wednesday night features two teams on short losing streaks, in hopes of turning them into wins.

Three keys for Ole Miss against Sam Houston State:

1. Knock down the 3

The Rebels have struggled a bit in recent games to make shots from beyond the arc. Ole Miss made 5 of 18 from deep last Saturday night against Middle Tennessee State, and, for the season, the Rebs are shooting 33.2 percent from three-point range. In Ole Miss’ last win, against Rice, they made 12 of 32 from beyond the arc. Since then, the Rebels haven’t made double-digit shots from deep.

2. Big game from Terence Davis 

Junior forward Terence Davis had 10 points in Ole Miss’ road loss at Middle Tennessee State, off his average of 16.9. He averages 6.3 rebounds a game. Kennedy’s Rebels will need Davis to have a strong performance on the offensive end–and stay out of foul trouble.

3. Consistency from Bruce Stevens

Junior college transfer Bruce Stevens had 10 points in Ole Miss’ loss last Saturday against the Blue Raiders, his first double-digit scoring effort on the season. The Rebels will need for him and the rest of the post players to contribute offensively, as thus far, Ole Miss has relied primarily on its backcourt for scoring. For the season, Stevens is averaging 7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

(Feature image credit: Dan Anderson, The Rebel Walk)