Less than a week ago, the Ole Miss regular season ended with the Rebels losing 12 of their final 13 SEC games. One of those losses came on Feb. 11 in Oxford, when the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Rebels 93-74.
Going back to a win over Auburn in Auburn on Feb. 28, Ole Miss has won three of their last five games. The two losses were by three points in overtime to Vandy and three points to South Carolina. Texas was favored over the Rebels on Wednesday, and Ole Miss won 76-66. Georgia was favored over Ole Miss on Thursday, and the Rebels won 76-72.
After the Georgia game, Chris Beard and his players were confident they could win three more games in Nashville and make the NCAA Tournament field.
The Rebels were a bit lucky against Georgia, with two questionable officiating decisions. But Georgia went into the game ranked No. 3 in Division One scoring 90.4 points per game and Ole Miss held the Bulldogs to 20 first-half points. The Dawgs scored 52 in the second half, but the Rebels' first-half defensive effort made a Georgia comeback impossible. Ole Miss also had a good defensive performance on Wednesday, holding Texas to 66 points.
The Rebels have improved defensively since Alabama scored 61 points on them in the second half in Oxford. The Rebels will be a tempo contrast to the Crimson Tide. Slowing games down helps Ole Miss offensively, and the help is much needed. Ken Pomeroy's model ranks Ole Miss as No. 101 in Offensive Efficiency. In addition, Ole Miss can give Alabama problems on the glass.
An Alabama Crimson Tide Win
Alabama is the better team. Oddsmakers will favor the Crimson Tide by 8-10 points. With three games in three days, Alabama's tempo could tire the Rebels in each half. Nate Oats will preach not taking anything for granted. He is correct to do so. Alabama will win, perhaps even easily, but a closer game would not be shocking. Bart Torvik's model has Alabama winning 87-77. My prediction is Alabama 81- 74 over Ole Miss.