After falling out of Associated Press Top 25, Ole Miss hopes that the latest story will repeat himself on Wednesday evening when it goes east for a border state match with No. 1 Auburn.
It will not be the first time this season that the rebels (19-8, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) have ventured to the state of Alabama and tried to invest a requirement for a statement against one of the country’s elite programs.
On January 14, the rebels authored the conference’s first major Stunner when they went to Tuscaloosa and dumped No. 4 Alabama 74-64. Improved coach Chris Beard’s gang to 15-2 in total and a pure 4-0 in conference measures.
But a mediocre 4-6 stretch then has boring part of the program’s shine.
After the stuttering of Crimson Tide, Ole Miss dropped four out of five competitions – all against ranked teams. It included a home loss of 92-82 on February 1 to Auburn (25-2, 13-1).
To be swept at home by the rival Mississippi state and fell to Vanderbilt in Nashville, alcohol dampened further after the hot start, although the program is on its way to March Madness for the first time since 2019.
“I think we can play with teams like this right now,” Beard said after the 10-point loss to Auburn three weeks ago. “I know we can. We will only continue to work against where we can beat teams like this in March.”
After hosting Oklahoma Saturday, Ole Miss ends the regular season against No. 5 Tennessee and No. 3 Florida – two more chances to improve their warehouse before NCAA announces the tour field.
Malik Dia (10.3 points, 5.7 returns) has been the leading painter and Rebounder in two of the last three matches for Ole Miss.
Coach Bruce Pearl’s highest ranked tigers have recovered nicely since Florida beat them 90-81 on February 8.
That defeat cut Auburn’s 14-match winning line, but the squad has regrouped to win its last four excursion-inclair a victory 94-85 over Nemesis Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
Tiger’s last three matches after Wednesday are at No. 17 Kentucky and No. 12 Texas A&M before closing the regular season on March 8 at home versus No. 6 Crimson Tide.
Pearl said to keep the top position in the top 25 survey while playing in undoubtedly that the country’s most competitive conference is a position that his team is completely comfortable handling.
“We clearly get everyone’s best shot,” Pearl said. “We are. It is good because the victory goes the change. A victory over Auburn, with our math, can really get someone from the bubble and into the tournament. … We will get it again Wednesday evening against Ole Miss, even if Ole Miss is already inside.
“Our guys are used to it. I also think the other thing is a combination of having a bunch of older guys. They start to see the end of this thing in regular season. And they don’t want waste opportunities.”
Auburn is ranked sixth in the country with 84.3 points per match and relies on Johni Broome (18.6 points, 11.1 returns and 3.4 assists per match). Broome is the heavy favorite for Sec Player of the Year and locked in a race with Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg for this year’s national players.
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