Ole Miss Men’s Basketball: Three keys to the game against North Carolina
The Rebel Walk’s coverage of NCAA March Madness for Ole Miss Men’s and Women’s Basketball is brought to you exclusively by Richland Dental in Richland, MS and Southern Traditions Farm.
At Richland Dental, their mission is to provide families throughout Richland, Florence, and Pearl, MS with healthy, confident smiles. They promise to listen to your needs and desires, treat you like they would want to be treated, and provide you with complete dental care. It is their goal to become your partner in maintaining optimal dental and overall health. Contact them at: (601) 932-5100.
Southern Traditions Farm is an 87 acre horse farm located in Canton, Mississippi. They are 30 minutes from Jackson and 20 minutes from Madison. They provide training, showing, boarding, lessons, etc. They provide top care and training for all their horses. They also offer summer camp. Feel free to reach out to them with any questions!
MILWAUKEE – The Ole Miss men’s basketball team will tip off against North Carolina this afternoon at 3:05 p.m. CT with the stakes of their season on the line. Heading into the matchup, here are my keys to the game for Chris Beard and the Rebels.
GAMEDAY.#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/CF9ETx3fEl
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) March 21, 2025
Keys to the Game
Create Turnovers
The first key stems from something Ole Miss does extremely effectively and that is to create turnovers. On average, the Rebs turn their opponents over roughly 14 times per game, resulting in fast break points and energetic defense. On the other side of the court, North Carolina is a team that averages 11 turnovers per game, committing 11 in their play-in game against San Diego State. In my opinion, if Beard’s unit can force over 15 turnovers, this game has the potential to be relatively smooth from start to finish.
Ole Miss three-point shooting
Moving into the next area of importance, I believe it’s a necessity for Ole Miss to shoot a three-point percentage between 25-30%. In their wins against Alabama and Tennessee, the Rebs only shot 26% and 28% from three, respectively. While it may seem low, they shot 17% from beyond the arc against Auburn in the SEC tournament, robbing them of an upset versus the No. 1 seed.
Defending the three
In contrast, North Carolina is a team that consists of several veteran guards who are not afraid to shoot with confidence. Against SDSU, the Tar Heels shot a whopping 58% from three and 52% from the field, which is absolutely outrageous. Perimeter defense and communication are going to be crucial for Ole Miss to lower those percentages and give themselves a chance to force poor shot selection. If the Rebels can keep the UNC guards out of paint, it will eliminate threes and will force them to make tougher shots.
Summary
If the guys in red and blue can force turnovers, score in fast breaks, make threes, and limit open looks from the Tar Heels, I’m confident that Ole Miss will move back into the win column of March Madness for the first time since 2015. The game will begin at 3:05 p.m. and be streamed on TNT. Hotty Toddy and Go Rebs!
