At a certain point in the growth of a college basketball program, you stop celebrating NCAA Tournament invitations because it’s no shocking surprise. It’s the expectation.
Ole Miss men’s basketball has gone to the big dance just 10 times in its history. Last season was its first tournament appearance in six years and helped frame the mindset that tournament bids are expected.
The problem headed into Saturday’s game against Southern Miss is that the Rebels weren’t in line to be a tournament team. ESPN’s Joe Lundardi’s most recent bracketology update (December 9) left Ole Miss out of the field completely and the Rebels are No. 106 in Men’s Basketball NET Rankings.
That’s why Ole Miss coach Chris Beard called Saturday’s game a must-win.
“Really set this up as almost a must win,” Beard said after the Rebels won 71-67. “We normally don’t do that with a good team in November, December, but this is kind of where we were.
“People outside the program wouldn’t understand this, but we put a lot of pressure on our team today. These guys understand to have the season we want to have, to get this thing turned around, today’s the game we have to win.”
One game won’t automatically change the Rebels’ outlook, especially since Southern Miss had a five-point lead early in the second half. Also, the largest lead for Ole Miss was just 10 points.
“I think we beat a really good basketball team today when our backs were totally up against the wall,” Beard said. “I would’ve liked to play better today and control the game, but if there is a learning lesson today (it’s) halfway through the second half where we understand what we’re playing for, with that kind of tension, that kind of stress on the court. Our guys at least had enough poise to play well down the stretch to win the game.”
No “real” rotation
In recent weeks, Beard has admitted his team doesn’t have a specific rotation or that its still a work in progress. He repeated that after Saturday’s game, but also gave an example of how it could be beneficial to Ole Miss.
“I can only imagine what it looks like from the outside. We’re playing 12, 13 guys,” Beard said. “I think that could be a positive. Could be a part of our identity and could be an ally to our team as the year goes on that maybe we have some depth.”
It’s a good point. If the Rebels coming off the bench are better than the opponents coming off the bench, it could be successful. Of course, it could help mitigate any negative impact from injuries or when someone gets into foul trouble.
“It’s open competition in Oxford,” Beard said.
Next up
Ole Miss should stay on the winner’s path this week when it makes the annual trek east to Tupelo.
There the Rebels will face Alabama A&M at 7 p.m. Wednesday on SECN+.
