TJ’s Takeaways: Ole Miss Falls Short in Matchup vs Memphis

Editor’s Note: In our ongoing series, “TJ’s Takeaways,” we give readers an in-depth look at the latest Ole Miss men’s basketball game, as our TJ Oxley offers 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.

Chris Beard’s team suffered its second defeat of the season in the Rebels’ final non-conference game of the season on Saturday in Memphis. After traveling just up the road, Ole Miss was out-paced by a battle-tested Tigers opponent who ran away with the contest, 87-70.

An early 8-0 Memphis run had the Rebels playing catch-up as the Tigers extended their first-half lead to a high of 13 points. Despite the deficit, Ole Miss did come storming back with a late surge in the final few minutes of the first half before a pair of free throws by Mikeal Brown-Jones closed out the first half with the Rebels only trailing by four, 38-34.

The start of the second half looked similar to the first as Memphis went on a 9-2 run. The Tigers would go on to extend the lead to 12 before Sean Pedulla would make a three-pointer to bring the lead back down to nine. On that very play, Ole Miss forward Mikeal Brown-Jones made contact with Memphis (and former Ole Miss) center Moussa Cisse in the back of the head that called for a flagrant-two technical foul and ejection for Brown-Jones. After a pair of PJ Haggerty free throws, Memphis would be back up by double-digits.

Tigers guard Colby Rogers knocked down a trio of three pointers en route to a 15-point second half that would keep the hopes for a Rebel comeback at bay.

Despite a valiant effort from Pedulla and Malik Dia, the Memphis lead was too great. Ole Miss finished the half making just two of its final eleven field goal attempts. The Tigers’ 87 points are the most Ole Miss has given up this season. Memphis led for 39:18 seconds in the contest and shot 57% in the second half, while holding Ole Miss to only 32.4%.

Memphis was led by the duo of Rogers (28) and Haggerty (17). Memphis had the edge in the paint, outscoring Ole Miss (38-30), and won the rebounding battle (45-34). Overall, the Tigers shot 47.5% from the field compared to the Rebels’ 36.4%.

The Rebels had a trio of players score in double figures. At the top of that was Pedulla (13), who was the main catalyst for the Ole Miss offense. The two who joined him were Jaylen Murray (12) and Malik Dia (11). Mikeal Brown-Jones had a strong outing before his ejection and ended with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Eduardo Klafke came in and knocked down a pair of triples in the first half as well.

The Question Remains: Who Will Step Up and Rebound for Ole Miss?

Heading into the season, there were three major questions I had for this year’s Ole Miss basketball team. One was who was going to be the primary driver for this offense? It’s still a little early, but the duo of Sean Pedulla and Jaylen Murray have seemed to split that title. The second was how were how all of these incoming scoring primaries going to handle different roles? The third one was how will Ole Miss contend with a smaller lineup?

If you’ve kept up, I’ve been a big fan of Ole Miss forward Brown-Jones, an athletic forward at 6’8 and 225 lbs. Saturday, he was that rebounding force for Ole Miss when it needed it. For the year, he has adapted to that ‘do the dirty work’ down low role and has really become a high-energy, athletic forward off the bench. Early on against the Tigers, Brown-Jones tallied five of eight rebounds for Ole Miss. His day was cut short after being called for the aforementioned flagrant-two technical foul early on in the second half.

How did Ole Miss fair without Brown-Jones in the lineup for the rest of the game? The Rebels lost the rebounding battle in the second half, 23-14. It’s not always just rebounding, though; it’s that inside presence. Former Ole Miss and now Memphis center Moussa Cisse had a strong outing, finishing the game with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. It was an efficient performance that highlighted the familiar name’s strengths. The Tigers also got an interior boost from Illinois transfer Dain Dainja who added 16 points on 6-7 shooting. Both Tiger bigs really found success today as Ole Miss struggled to control the paint.

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard spoke highly of Cisse in the postgame.

Chris Beard on former Rebel Moussa Cisse’s performance for Memphis

With this performance the question remains, who will step up and help control the interior?

Fifth Year Woes, First-Year Grows

Ole Miss needed its veterans to step up tonight. The duo of Jaylen Murray and Pedulla did their part in the contribution. It was the oldest guys on the team who didn’t quite deliver tonight. A trio on this Ole Miss roster — Matthew Murrell, Jaemyn Brakefield, and Dre Davis — are all in their fifth year of college basketball. The group accounts for two starters and the primary sixth man on the roster. As a group, they tallied a total of 11 points on 5-23 shooting.

There’s an asterisk with this as Matthew Murrell has missed time recently due to an injury. This was just his second game back to relatively full minutes, and he finished as the leader of this group with seven points. Both Brakefield and Davis added two points apiece. In order for Ole Miss to be the best version of itself, Murrell, Brakefield, and Davis have to be factors in every game in at least one way. While scoring is the easiest way to affect a game, it can also come in rebounding, passing, and defense.

Both Brakefield and Davis are efficient in their ways as secondary scorers. Davis operates best when slashing and building on the ball moving. Brakefield works on isolation and defender mismatches. Both Davis and Brakefield did add four rebounds a piece today.

This being said, it’s just one bad game and every player/team has one. It’s when these string together that things become an issue. The expected likelihood that all three veterans have rough performances is likely slim.

Now for the flip side. Both Eduardo Klafke and John Bol got some minutes today and both showed some good flashes. Klafke added two three-pointers and his threat from the perimeter opened up the offense. He plays the game intelligently on offense within himself and as the year has gone on, he has added bits and pieces. Against the Tigers, that came in the form of a no-hesitation, catch-and-shoot three pointer, a ball fake to get a defender to bite into a drive and kick that initiated offense, and some good defensive possessions. Klafke caused several deflections and did well when matched up on PJ Haggerty. His assertiveness on the court shows, so watch for him to continue to work in minutes on the court as we get into SEC play.

As my friend Bracken Ray said earlier today, “How many freshmen get more minutes in conference play than non con? This will be the case for Klafke as we head into Jan.”

How many freshmen get more minutes in conference play than non con? This will be the case for Klafke as we head into Jan

— Bracken Ray (@BrackenRay4) December 28, 2024

Seeing John Bol early in the game came as a bit of a surprise. Did we expect Bol to be able to hang around down low with Cisse and Dainja who outweigh him by 20-50 pounds each? It’s about tempering expectations as Bol is young, raw, and full of potential. While he didn’t throw his body around and stop the Memphis interior push, he did add some rim protection by altering shots. He finished a put-back and navigated around some big bodies for a reverse layup, and that is enough to show progress. While college basketball has changed, seeing younger players develop in a program is still good to see. Looking at it, Ole Miss has two guys who can hopefully be key pieces for years to come.

What’s Next for Ole Miss?

There will be lots of chatter about what a game like this means and how Ole Miss found itself in this position. Some may blame the lack of prior scheduling and the quality of prior teams played, or how this is was just the second true road game Ole Miss has had this season in a true away environment.

Memphis is a good team and in a better standing than the Lousiville (the other true road game) team who has suffered some serious injuries this season. Memphis has several big-name players and has taken down three Q1 opponents and holds four ranked wins. They’re a legit team who will probably be in the top-25 sooner rather than later. While the game itself wasn’t as competitive as Ole Miss would’ve liked, in the grand scheme of the entire season this game is the first of many. The first of many opportunities, that is.

Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule for Ole Miss, showing the quad ranking of these games.(Credit to bball.net for the screenshot). These are subject to change, but Memphis was the first of ten Q1 opportunities for Ole Miss in 12 games. Similar to the scenario with Davis, Murrell, and Brakefield, this game by itself is fine but if it starts trending that way for multiple games would be when the real problem sets in. Ole Miss can correct this with a few Q1 wins and even give themselves some grace by adding quality wins.

An Interesting Note

Memphis got seven minutes out of Dante Harris Saturday night, and while he notched only seven minutes and only one point, it is an interesting point to show. This is the second season in a row Penny Hardaway has brought in a mid-season transfer. Harris was previously at Virginia but transferred following the news of Tony Bennett’s retiring. Harris was announced as an addition to the roster earlier Saturday morning.