There is a lot of season left, and it’s conceivable, I suppose, Ole Miss figures it out, goes on a run and makes magic in March.
College basketball was built on storylines like the one I just described.
Banking on that, however, would seem foolish, certainly at this point.
On Tuesday night, Ole Miss lost to Missouri, 78-53. Cuonzo Martin’s team entered the night with a 7-9 record and a NET ranking of 227. The only moment for Ole Miss fans to get excited came midway through the second half when Kermit Davis cleared his bench. Freshman James White hit a bucket. So did fellow freshman Grant Slatten. Ole Miss pulled to within 10 points.
Then Missouri answered, building a 23-point lead with 3:38 left, emptying The SJB Pavilion at Ole Miss.
Maybe this isn’t Rock Bottom. But you can see it from here, and the next 48 days or so figure to serve as a litmus test of sorts for the program. Ole Miss is now 9-8 overall, 1-4 in the Southeastern Conference. The Rebels head to Starkville Saturday and come home next week to face Florida, Arkansas and Kansas State on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, respectively. Again, maybe there’s a miraculous turnaround. More likely, at least two of those four games end in losses. Attendance is likely to become a concern. Empty seats get noticed by athletics directors just as fast as losing streaks.
Yes, injuries are a factor. Robert Allen is out for the season with a knee injury. Jarkel Joiner is out at least another 4-5 weeks with a back injury. Guard Austin Crowley didn’t play Tuesday after suffering an ankle injury in a loss to then-No. 4 Auburn Saturday night.
But this is a team that has lost to Boise State, Western Kentucky and Samford. Its issues run deeper than injuries. There are dead spots on the roster where development simply hasn’t happened. Luis Rodriguez played almost 30 minutes Tuesday. He scored six points and grabbed six rebounds. Sammy Hunter played almost 16 1/2 minutes. He scored three points and grabbed two boards. On Tuesday night, Ole Miss simply had to have more from both players. They didn't deliver.
Jaemyn Brakefield, forced into a huge role after Allen’s injury, played well versus Auburn. On Tuesday, he took a step back. Brakefield scored three points and pulled down one rebound in more than 26 minutes of action. Sophomore Matthew Murrell, who has shown more than a few flashes of brilliance in recent weeks, scored six points and dished out three assists in more than 31 minutes. However, Murrell failed to garner a single rebound. Freshman guard Daeshun Ruffin had 12 points, two assists and two rebounds in 26-plus foul-plagued minutes. Georgia transfer Tye Fagan had nine points and three rebounds in 19 minutes. Miami transfer center Nysier Brooks, who has emerged as an absolutely critical component of this Ole Miss team, had eight points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes.
None of it was nearly enough. Ole Miss was out-rebounded, 40-26. The Rebels shot just 34.4 percent from the floor, 27.3 percent from the 3-point line and 38.5 percent from the free throw line.
Davis said he saw it coming. He shut practice down early Monday due to a lack of effort.
“I’ve done it long enough that you can kind of smell it coming,” Davis said. “I didn’t smell it that bad but I knew we weren’t going to be at our best. We got beat in every facet of the game.”
Davis referred to effort and toughness repeatedly after Tuesday’s game.
Ole Miss trailed by 15 at the half, as Davis used timeouts to try to activate and motivate his team. He tried different lineups. For the most part, nothing worked. Davis insisted, however, that his team was hearing him. They just couldn’t answer.
“They always listen,” Davis said. “Don’t ever doubt that. Don’t ever doubt that at all. I promise you that. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Davis said the missed shots impacted his team on the defensive end. Missouri outscored Ole Miss in the paint, 38-22. The Tigers’ bench had 34 points, some 16 better than the Rebels’ reserves.
“We’ve got a good group of young guys,” Davis said. “Tonight, Missouri was just better.”
Consistency, Davis said, has been an issue. Guys make strides and then regress. The SEC slate isn’t exactly forgiving. After next week’s trifecta, Ole Miss travels to LSU and Florida to open February. Alabama looms. So do trips to Auburn and Kentucky. No one is going to feel sorry for the Rebels and Davis knows it.
“I’ve been doing this for 39 years,” Davis said. “You go back to the basics of coaching. You individually meet with your guys. You coach your team. We’re not the first team to get hit like this. It’s the first time it’s happened at home. It’s disappointing and embarrassing. But we’ll get our team back to playing quality basketball.”