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10 Observations: LSU crushes Ole Miss, 75-61

OXFORD — LSU jumped on Ole Miss from the opening tip and never looked back, beating the Rebels, 75-61, in a hastily-scheduled game Saturday.

Trendon Watford led LSU with 21 points. Javonte Smart added 17 and Darius Days added 15.

Austin Crowley led Ole Miss with 10 points.

The Rebels fell to 6-4 overall and 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference.

Here are 10 observations from the Rebels’ loss Saturday:

1. Ole Miss simply can’t score. The Rebels can’t shoot. They don’t get many assists. They’re not dominant on the glass. In short, they’re stunningly mediocre. Ole Miss shot just 35.4 percent from the floor and 30.8 percent from the 3-point line.

“They completely dominated us,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “They beat us in every area. …I take full responsibility. Our guards just couldn’t make plays. We just got beat in every facet tonight.”

2. It’s fair to ask why. Why was this team so hyped during the preseason? Why were so many players misevaluated? Why do they get off to slow starts on a routine basis? Those are fair questions. There are no easy answers, I suspect, and the discussion would require a great amount of nuance, but they’re fair questions nonetheless.

3. Ole Miss’ first-half performance was an abomination. It was simply awful. The Rebels shot 26.1 percent from the field and made just one of 10 shots from behind the 3-point line. Throw in 12 turnovers and it was a total disaster.

“I think it started defensively,” Ole Miss forward Luis Rodriguez, who had nine points and five assists. “We never got going defensively. It was a slow night. …In practice, we look good. We take good shots. They fall in practice. We just have to execute. Some games, we have to find other ways to see the ball go in."

4. Devontae Shuler scored two points, going 0-for-9 from the floor. He had four assists and two turnovers. Ole Miss needed him to be an All-SEC player. That simply hasn’t happened.

5. Romello White should be this team’s best player. He scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in 23 minutes Saturday. KJ Buffen scored three points and grabbed one rebound, playing just 15 minutes before drawing a technical foul and being pulled from the contest.

6. LSU’s Cam Thomas barely played. The league’s leading scorer played just four minutes in the first half due to an ankle injury. Thomas tried to return but couldn’t go. It didn’t matter. That’s a great sign for LSU, but it’s a terrible sign for the Rebels.

7. Ole Miss was a turnover machine Saturday. It was weird. The Rebels usually protect the ball, but on Saturday, they threw it away with complete carelessness. As hard as it is for the Rebels to score, they can’t afford to be loose with the basketball. On Saturday, Ole Miss was its own worst enemy, committing 20 turnovers. Against a superior team, that’s a recipe for an ass-kicking.

“We couldn’t make plays,” Davis said. “Just give LSU credit.”

8. Ole Miss had no match for LSU’s athleticism. Kudos to the SEC, LSU and Ole Miss for making Saturday night happen. South Carolina couldn’t make the trip to Oxford and Missouri seems to be one of the most COVID-sensitive schools in the league, so the Tigers being unable to host LSU as scheduled should shock no one. Turning it around on Friday midday and playing Saturday night is an accomplishment for everyone involved.

“Players want to play and they need to play and it was available,” Davis said. “The preparation wasn’t the issue at all. LSU was just totally better.”

9. Is there anyone with a more punchable face than LSU coach Will Wade? I would make quite the strong-ass offer to pop him square in the jaw. As long as he’s on an SEC sideline, I really question how any other program justifies not cheating.

10. Ole Miss travels to Gainesville, Fla., to face Mike White and the Florida Gators Tuesday night at 6 CST on the SEC Network. Davis said Ole Miss will practice twice Sunday. All positions, Davis said, will be open in terms of who earns starts and minutes at Florida.

“It’s a long season,” Rodriguez said. “We have a lot of basketball left. We have to have a short memory. They games just keep coming.”

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