Dogs Bite Rebels

Ole Miss started the game hot and led the Dogs by double digits at one point. It was not enough to hold off the Dog's bite as MSU went on to win 87-76. The Bulldogs were led by Lawrence Roberts with 23 points. Coach Rick Stansbury made a great coaching decision and moved into the 2-3 zone midway through the first half. It was all downhill for the Rebels from there. Coach Barnes willingly let the lead get away from him when State changed defenses. No one knew how to break a simple 2-3 zone, as in previous years it was just pass around the perimeter. Ole Miss was led by Tommie Eddie with 17 points. Londrick Nolen contributed a disappointing 12 points(4 of which came in the last minute). The Rebels could not find the outside shot when they needed to. While Mississippi State is a very good team, Ole Miss does not have the talent on a consistent level to hang with a team like State. For the Rebels to win, Nolen has to be the go to guy every game, he just did not show as much energy as previous games. Former Pillow Academy great Michael Boler did see action in the game. Boler surprisingly went into the game midway through the second-half and played for two minutes. Any coach in the NCAA can see Ole Miss can not play against the zone. While I have not given up and the Rebels, if we continue this play, the chance of another last place in the SEC West looks like it will happen. The Rebels return to the action when Georgia comes to town on Wednesday.