Ole Miss soundly defeated Division II foe North Alabama 94-53 in an exhibition on Sunday in Oxford.
Freshman guard Devontae Shuler put on a show in his debut for the Rebels, putting up a game-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Shuler knocked down four 3-pointers and led the team in minutes played despite not starting the game.
Terence Davis (13 points) and Deandre Burnett (11 points) also entered double figures in scoring.
Two of the Rebel big men nearly secured double-doubles with Marcanvis Hymon scoring eight points with 10 rebounds and Bruce Stevens scoring nine points with eight rebounds.
After the game, Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy had to be concerned about his team’s 18 turnovers, but he could counterbalance those numbers and be happy about dishing out 21 assists on 36 made baskets.
In the rout, Ole Miss played all fourteen players, outrebounded the Lions by 9, and forced 21 turnovers, so there was plenty of room for excitement in the Rebel locker room after the game.
Phil’s Analysis
It was interesting that the Rebels’ leading returning scorer, Deandre Burnett, came off the bench in this game, but what a great problem for Kennedy to have.
In fact, Burnett and Shuler, both of Sunday’s leading scorers for the Rebels, came off the bench.
If Shuler can be the lockdown defender that Andy Kennedy thinks he is and can score like he did tonight, then Ole Miss may have found its next star.
Markel Crawford, a grad transfer from Memphis, was solid in his debut as well, and I think he’ll be a factor throughout the season for the Rebels.
The turnovers don’t concern me too much in an exhibition. The rotation will get down to 9 or 10 guys and the units should mesh quickly.
It will be interesting to see how Ole Miss handles talented frontcourt scorers throughout the non-conference. That’s a question that remains to be seen since they were not tested by UNA’s bigs on Sunday.
With the turmoil around the league in places like Auburn and Texas A&M, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Ole Miss is sitting near the top 5 teams in the SEC when the season is done.
Kennedy, the SEC’s longest tenured coach, is nothing if not consistent.
Ole Miss begins the season on Friday at the Pavilion against Louisiana.