TJ’s Takeaways: Sean Pedulla Shines as Ole Miss Defeats South Alabama

Editor’s Note: Here’s another edition of “TJ’s Takeaways,” our in-depth look at the latest Ole Miss men’s basketball game, where our TJ Oxley gives you his thoughts, analysis, and insight. This series is here to help identify things that really stand out from the games, things you may not be able to find from a box score. And if you’re also looking for a recap of the game, don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Check it out HERE.

OXFORD, Miss. — In a game that was too close for comfort, it was Ole Miss who came out on top on Tuesday night. With the 64-54 win, the Rebels are now 3-0 on the season behind a 27-point scoring explosion from Sean Pedulla that helped take down a stingy South Alabama team.

The game had a different feel from the tip as there was a noticeable exclusion from the Ole Miss starting lineup. Senior Matthew Murrell was unavailable for the game and is considered day-to-day following an injury. Despite a strong second-half comeback effort by Richie Riley’s South Alabama group, Ole Miss found a pair of big three’s late to secure the win.

As a group, Ole Miss finished the game shooting 33% from the field, while knocking down 13 three pointers. The Rebels won the rebounding battle, 42-39, and forced 14 South Alabama turnovers. Outside of Pedulla, Jaemyn Brakefield scored 14 points, while Davon Barnes scored 7, Jaylen Murray added 6, Malik Dia tallied 5, Dre Davis added 4, and Mikeal Brown-Jones 1.

The game took place in the Tad Smith Coliseum as Ole Miss honored former coach Bob Weltlich who led the Rebels to the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance. Weltlich coached the men’s program from 1976-1982. This is the second year in a row in which Ole Miss has played a game in the “Tad Pad” under current head coach Chris Beard.

Sean Pedulla Shines

Without Murrell in the starting lineup, Ole Miss was bound to see someone step up in his absence. That person was Sean Pedulla. The Virginia Tech transfer didn’t have the splash start to the season you would imagine for someone who earned All-ACC honors last year, but last night Pedulla found a rhythm early.

As mentioned earlier, Pedulla erupted for a game-high 27 points after a 19-point first half. The guard found his shot early, making 5-of-8 three point attempts before ending the game shooting 8-of-19 from the field with seven made three-point attempts. Ole Miss needed someone to drive its offense and be the scoring playmaker for the group with Murrell, the offensive leader, out. Pedulla wasn’t perfect tonight and probably felt a little too confident with the three but his performance was needed, not only for himself but for Ole Miss.

As I mention the three, there were some great looks including a quick release from the corner that looked ever-so-smooth and a late-in-the-clock three of a skip pass where Pedulla caught the ball in motion for an immediate shot without any sort of dip on the shot. Pedulla finished the game with 27 PTS | 4 REB | & 2 AST.

Out of all the threes Pedulla made, it was the final one that stood out the most. After being trigger happy (and rightfully so) throughout the game, he got a pass with just over a minute to play and faked a three that got his defender to bite before dribbling into a better look and knocking down a three that gave Ole Miss its ten-point lead that put the game on ice.

Live by the three. Almost die by the three

Ole Miss finished the contest shooting 13-of-38 from three. As a group, Ole Miss shot it at a 34% clip from three-point range. The reason for the large percentage of outside shots has to do with South Alabama’s defense. The Jaguars excelled at taking control of the pace of the game on the defensive end by slowing down an Ole Miss offense that thrives in transition.

South Alabama did this by incorporating two different zone looks that Ole Miss struggled to navigate. The first was a multi-look zone that morphs depending on where the ball is on the court. South Alabama starts in a 1-3-1 look as the ball crosses half-court but switches to a 2-3 look as it moves to a wing. Then it takes a new look, sort of like a 1-2-2 as it moves to a corner. This creates different angles that Ole Miss was trying to find in order to attack. The second zone was a box-and-1 zone that took the focus on eliminating an opposing offensive threat from the other team. They used this on Sean Pedulla.

The Rebels struggled when they found looks in the middle and in the interior of the zone, often looking to do too much or being indecisive. On the day, Ole Miss scored 14 points in the paint and grabbed 14 total offensive rebounds. That being said, the Rebels knew they were going to have to shoot the three to win this game, and at moments went five out to space the court only with flashes into areas before moving back to five out.

As a result, 59% of Ole Miss’ FG attempts came from the three-point line. And as the old saying goes, you either live by the three or die by the three. The Rebels started out living — after four of their first five FGs came from outside. But in the second half, Ole Miss struggled as they only scored one FG from a Sean Pedulla three from the 14:21 mark to the 3:34 mark. That’s when JuJu Murray hit a huge three that sparked a mini 6-0 run to give the Rebels a safe lead in the game’s final minutes.

Three Tidbits

Without Murell in the lineup, Ole Miss inserted Sam Houston State transfer Davon Barnes. In increased action, Barnes finished the contest with 7 points on 3-of-10 from the field and 1-of-6 from three. Some of those misses were late in the clock and felt forced. Barnes was arguably one of the best rebounders on the floor (inch-for-inch) as he secured 8 rebounds in 34 minutes. He also added three assists.

Speaking of rebounding, Ole Miss won the battle but only by three. A big reason why the Rebels did out-rebound South Alabama was Malik Dia who may have not had the scoring impact he would’ve liked but logged a career-high 13 rebounds in only 25 minutes on the court, three of which were on the offensive end. His 10 defensive rebounds would’ve tied his previous career high. The Rebels will need continued effort from Dia on the glass as they begin to increase their level of competition.

Lastly, a shoutout to Eduardo Klafke. One of two highly-rated freshman on this roster, Eduardo Klafke is carving out a role off the bench. At 6-foot-5, Klafke brings a lot of energy to the defensive end, and last night he even logged a steal by jumping a pass that led to a transition three by Sean Pedulla. Klafke finished the game with two assists but was up and down as he also tallied two turnovers. One of those turnovers came from an attempt to attack the South Alabama zone, and that was an aggressive move for the youngster. He currently plays a complementary role on offense while bringing energy on defense. Klafke has sprinkled in moments of assertiveness that may develop into flashes as the year and his confidence go on.

Next Up: 

Ole Miss returns to action this Saturday for a matchup in Southaven against Colorado State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT and can be streamed on SEC Network+.