Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Looks to Upset Texas in First Round of SEC Tournament

OXFORD, Miss. — The Rebels are in Nashville today to face the Texas Longhorns at 6:00 p.m. CT in the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss lost to the Longhorns earlier in the season, but will hope for a win this time around to keep its run in the tournament alive.

ON THE AIR

Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart
Analyst: Dane Bradshaw

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway

Where they stand

Ole Miss enters the tournament with a 12-19 record after an underwhelming regular season. The season was full of more downs than ups, but there were still plenty of high moments for the Rebels, even if their overall record doesn’t show it. In conference play, the Rebels finalized the season with a 4-14 record, placing them at No. 15 and one spot ahead of last place LSU. Ole Miss capped its regular season off with back-to-back heartbreaking three-point losses to Vanderbilt and South Carolina.

Texas, like Ole Miss, also has had highs and lows this season — at times showing the Horns were capable of competing with the best teams in the country. Texas managed to execute from start to finish more often than the Rebels were able to, securing an 18-13 overall record in the regular season. In the SEC, Texas finished at 9-9, good for No. 10 in the league. The Longhorns also finalized their regular season with back-to-back losses, which came to Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Scouting the Longhorns

Texas’ first season under head coach Sean Miller went fairly well. The Longhorns managed to secure some nice victories over ranked teams in Alabama, Vanderbilt and Georgia, while keeping it close but losing to elite teams in Florida, UConn and Duke. Texas lost some very winnable games over the course of the season, but overall was decent. The Longhorns’ issue throughout the season was consistency, as a five-game win streak was the longest for Texas, with wins and losses evenly dispersed during the year.

The Longhorns enter the SEC Tournament with four players averaging at least 13 points per game, with guard Dailyn Swain leading the way, scoring an average of 17.7 points. Center Matas Vokietaitis follows with 15. 7 points. The pair, in the same order, also led Texas on the boards, securing 7.5 and 6.9 rebounds per game, respectively. Guard Jordan Pope guides the Longhorns from beyond the arc, though. Pope has made 71 three-pointers on the season and currently shoots 37% from downtown.

Texas’ Notable NCAA Team Statistical Rankings:

– Free throws made per game, 19.8, 5th
– Free throw attempts per game, 26.4, 7th
– Rebound margin, +7.6, 16th
– Points per game, 84.4, 22nd
– Field goal percentage, 49.0, 27th
– Fastbreak points per game, 13.6, 52nd

Keys to the game

1. Defend the paint: In the last matchup between the two, the Longhorns’ center, Vokietaitis, went off for 27 points, dominating the Rebels, especially in the paint. To pair with that, Ole Miss also got into some foul trouble, allowing the Longhorns to shoot 23 free throws on top of the 32 points scored in the paint. The Rebels can’t allow that to happen again; they must defend the paint.

2. Start strong, play fast: The Rebels were unable to get off to a hot start in Austin last time, contributing to an early double-digit deficit. Ole Miss began to make a comeback, but was unsuccessful in the end. Had the Rebels gotten off to a stronger start and taken control of the game a bit earlier, the comeback may have been more manageable and successful.

3. Limit the Longhorns’ offensive rhythm: Ole Miss allowed the Longhorns to get a little too comfortable early on last time, not nearly contesting shots like it would’ve liked to, which led to Texas building a rhythm and getting hot behind their own crowd, which it won’t have this time around. The Rebels will need to stay strong and not allow their defense to break down early. They must force Texas to shoot the deep ball while they contest the three, forcing uncomfortable movement and tough shots.

Why this game matters

This game matters tremendously to the Rebels, as it is just one piece of a larger puzzle that is the SEC Tournament; a last chance for Ole Miss to leave its mark in the league. The Rebels have proven time and time again that they’re capable of success, but they have to execute, and they have a favorable position in the bracket to do so.

Although a singular win in the first round over Texas would be great, a deeper run through Nashville would be even better. It all starts with the Longhorns, though. But at the very least, a win would build momentum and confidence as the team moves on. It could change the environment in the locker room and could possibly sway momentum in recruiting. Whether Ole Miss does make a run or not, one win is all it takes to set the tone as the team heads into the offseason.

Game info

• Matchup: Ole Miss at Texas
• Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN.
• Time: 6 p.m. CT
• TV: SEC Network