Ole Miss will look to get back on track after a road loss at Butler when it hosts Nicholls on Tuesday night.
The Rebels went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse but came up a little short in suffering an 83-76 defeat.
Meanwhile, Nicholls has played four straight road games and sits at 2-3 overall this season.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this game.
Game Details
- Ole Miss (1-1) vs. Nicholls (2-3)
- Location: The Pavilion – Oxford, MS
- Game Date: Nov. 20
- Game Time: 7 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network
Players to Watch
Terence Davis (Ole Miss)
Davis is having a strong start to his senior season, and he was excellent in the loss at Butler in scoring 30 points and knocking down 6 of 9 attempts from 3-point range.
If he continues to shoot the ball at such an effective rate (60.7 percent FG, 63.6 percent 3PT), he should emerge as one of the premier guards in the SEC this season.
Breein Tyree (Ole Miss)
Tyree has also played well early on, with the 6-2 junior scoring 15.5 points and playing 30.5 minutes per game through two contests.
He has now hit double figures in eight consecutive games dating back to last season, and there’s no doubt that Tyree can be an impact scorer for the Rebels in Kermit Davis’ first year on the job.
Jeremiah Jefferson (Nicholls)
Jefferson has already had three games of 24 or more points this season, which has been helped by his strong 3-point game.
The 6-2 senior has racked up 19 made 3-pointers through five games, and he’s doing it in an efficient manner by shooting 45.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Key Stats
It’s hard to gather a whole lot from a statistical standpoint considering the small sample size, but Ole Miss is using players like Davis and Tyree to its advantage on the perimeter.
The Rebels are shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range thus far, which currently ranks 17th nationally.
If Ole Miss continues to shoot at a high rate, that could be a concern for a Nicholls squad that ranks 288th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency while making just 43.3 percent of its 2-point shots (302nd nationally).
Another area that the Rebels could exploit is the offensive glass, as they rank 50th in offensive rebounding percentage (35.1 percent).
Game Outlook
- Spread: Ole Miss -19.5
- Over/Under: 152.5
- KenPom Projection: Ole Miss, 94 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Ole Miss, 77.3 percent chance to win
While Ole Miss has played just two games under Kermit Davis, it’s clear that the team is heading in the right direction.
The Rebels aren’t going to boast about a moral victory after the solid performance at Butler, but that was a good indicator of Ole Miss’ ability to give teams trouble on a nightly basis.
This is a confident group that won’t back down from a challenge, and that’s the mindset needed if the Rebels want to contend in the loaded SEC this season.
Either way, they should take care of business here and pick up the win.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 40-9
Game Prediction: Ole Miss 85, Nicholls State 71
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