The final score really wasn’t the most important thing Thursday night.
Yes, Ole Miss lost 92-84 to Alabama in an exhibition game. Yes, the Rebels gave up more than 90 points. And yes, there are plenty of things that still need to be cleaned up before the regular season begins.
But if you’re looking for reasons to feel encouraged after the first real glimpse of this team, start with the effort level.
For an exhibition game in mid-October against one of the nation’s premier programs, Ole Miss competed.
That’s not always a given in these preseason tuneups. Sometimes teams look disinterested. Sometimes they spend 40 minutes simply trying to get through the night healthy. Neither side approached it that way Thursday.
Ole Miss came out throwing punches from the opening tip, grabbing an early lead and staying within striking distance for most of the first half. More importantly, the Rebels showed the kind of defensive activity that coaches love seeing this time of year.
They forced 12 Alabama turnovers and turned them into 15 points.
That’s the stat that jumps off the page.
Alabama is one of the most talented offensive teams in college basketball. The Crimson Tide have athletes, shooters and depth all over the floor. Yet Ole Miss consistently disrupted possessions, got into passing lanes and created transition opportunities.
Budd Clark’s fingerprints were all over that effort. He recorded multiple steals that directly led to baskets, and the Rebels repeatedly used defensive pressure to create offense.
That’s the kind of identity Ole Miss is going to need this season.
The Rebels aren’t going to outscore everybody. They’re not going to overwhelm opponents simply with talent. What they can do is make life difficult, play with energy and force opponents into mistakes.
Thursday provided evidence that this group is capable of doing exactly that.
The other encouraging sign was the response after adversity.
When Alabama stretched its lead to 18 points in the second half, it would’ve been easy for an exhibition game to turn into a blowout. Instead, Ole Miss kept playing. The Rebels chipped away possession by possession, eventually trimming the deficit to just three points with less than three minutes remaining.
That fight mattered more than the final margin.
Corey Stephenson’s second-half shooting sparked much of the comeback. Patton Pinkins made several winning-type plays. Clark continued to impact the game on both ends. The Rebels never looked overwhelmed despite facing an Alabama roster loaded with high-level talent.
There will be tougher evaluations to make once the games start counting.
Thursday wasn’t about wins and losses.
It was about getting an early look at a team’s mindset.
For one exhibition night, Ole Miss showed it has the defensive effort, competitiveness and toughness to give itself a chance. That’s a much more important takeaway than an eight-point loss on the scoreboard.
