Coming off a near improbable comeback victory over Auburn on Saturday, Ole Miss gets a Valentine’s date at the Pavilion with an LSU team that’s lost ten games in a row. While the Rebels’ tournament hopes are essentially out of reach, Andy Kennedy’s squad has shown real improvement, having won three of their last four games and moving up to 68th in the KenPom ratings.
The Tigers’ lone conference win came against Missouri, the only team in the SEC with fewer total wins. Their conference-worst adjusted defensive rating should provide some relief for the Rebels, who have experienced some severe scoring droughts against even just average defenses.
The Tigers have made a respectable 66 percent of attempts near the rim, so packing the paint will be a priority on defense. The importance of limiting those quality looks, as well as minimizing offensive boards, is apparent to anyone who’s watched even a few minutes of Rebel basketball this season.
During SEC play, LSU has allowed teams to make nearly 40 percent of their three-pointers, good (or I guess bad) for worst in the conference. Ole Miss has been the SEC’s worst shooting team in this regard (31 percent from three) with some streaky performances, so whether or not they can take advantage here remains to be seen. Even so, they’re trending in the right direction offensively, making up for occasional shooting woes by getting to the foul line at a steady rate.
Since this is an Ole Miss sporting event, nothing’s a guarantee, so I should probably stop listing reasons for you to get your hopes up and just provide the viewing info. But first, allow Sebastian Saiz to get you in the mood for a sensual evening of Rebel hoops.
How to watch:
Where: Oxford, MS
When: 8:00 PM CT
TV: SEC Network
Online Streaming: WatchESPN