OXFORD — Ole Miss’ season has had some peaks this season.
There’s no denying that.
It is currently in a valley.
Getting out of it quickly will be imperative if the Rebels want to keep alive their hopes for meaningful March basketball.
No. 20 Ole Miss was out-classed by No. 24 Iowa State Saturday in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge Saturday. The Cyclones pulled away in the second half for a comfortable 87-73 win in front of ?8,839 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. Since breaking into the Associated Press for the first time in almost six years two weeks ago, the Rebels lost three of four games, losing to LSU, Alabama and Iowa State while beating Arkansas.
“That’s probably the best put-together team in college basketball,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said of the Cyclones. “Everybody can pass. Everybody passes the ball. They make you pay for everything. I thought we had some runs in us but we had a lot of defensive breakdowns. In these kinds of games, we have to get more players to play better.”
Ole Miss (14-5) have to travel to Florida on Wednesday before returning home to face No. 22 Mississippi State on Saturday.
To get back to its winning ways, Ole Miss has to fix things on offense. Earlier in the season, the Rebels were deadly efficient on the offensive end. In recent weeks, the Rebels’ offense has lost its crispness. Teams, including Iowa State, are applying more pressure on the perimeter and keying on guards Terence Davis and Breein Tyree. The Rebels’ guards are still getting their points, but they’re having to work much harder to produce them.
Ole Miss shot 36.2 percent from the floor Saturday, and it was a microcosm of the past couple of weeks. Forced shots, wild shots, out-of-control shots and tightly-defended shots were the norm against the Cyclones. Ole Miss was 8-for-24 from the 3-point line, only staying in the game due to 15 offensive rebounds and 19 Iowa State turnovers. Predictably, the Rebels had a difficult time generating momentum.
Breein Tyree scored 22 points on 9-for-22 shooting. Terence Davis had 16 points but he was just 4-for-14 shooting. Blake Hinson had 13 points and Devontae Shuler had 10. The Rebels had just six bench points. Ole Miss lost the rebounding battle, 34-28, including a 29-13 defeat on the defensive glass.
Given the state of Ole Miss’ defense this season, that formula isn’t going to lead to wins against good teams. Iowa State (15-5), one of the nation’s top offensive teams, was deadly efficient against the Rebels Saturday. The Cyclones moved the basketball expertly, prodded at weaknesses on the Rebels’ defense and then attacked. The result: One clean look after another. Throw in a handful of failed coverages and several occasions in which Ole Miss forward Bruce Stevens simply got beat to a spot on the floor and Iowa State’s remarkable 69.1 shooting percentage really wasn’t all that surprising.
“When we start to have to play (freshman forward) KJ Buffen at (center), it gets really hard for us,” Davis said. “Hats off to Iowa State. That’s a team that can go deep in the tournament for sure."
Ole Miss got as close as one point some 90 seconds into the second half, but Iowa State went on an offensive tear, hitting 13 straight field goals at one point _ the Cyclones were 20-for-26 from the floor in the final 20 minutes _ to make it a comfortable early afternoon for the guys from Ames.
Talen Horton-Tucker had a game-high 23 for Iowa State. Lindell Wigginton had 18 off the Cyclones' bench, and Marial Shayok added 17.
As mentioned earlier, the next week won’t be any easier. Florida, which fell to 11-8 with a loss to TCU Saturday, will be desperate for a win. Mississippi State, 14-4 heading into tonight’s home game against Auburn, will have revenge on its mind. Ole Miss’ 81-77 win in Starkville two weeks ago is the only blemish on the Bulldogs’ home schedule so far this season.
“I think we’ve been practicing the right way,” Tyree said. “I just think come game-time, we’ve got to put everything together like we’ve been doing at practice and pull out another win. When we win, everything’s OK."
“We’re not guarding like we were,” Davis said. “We had 10 assists on 25 baskets. The ball’s not moving. …T.D. went through a stretch in the second half where he wouldn’t compete. I don’t know what happened. We’re not going to win many games if (Tyree and Davis) aren’t playing at a high level and we can’t get Bruce or Dom.
“We’ll bounce back. We’ve got to have a short memory. We’ve got to have good practices. We’ve got to get our team back together and really, really play. We haven’t been very good this week, for sure.”
Davis admitted he spent the week coaching effort and saw breakdowns in that area Saturday that “hurt my soul.” Bottom line, fatigued or whatever the case may be, the Rebels simply aren’t good enough or deep enough to win without playing at a high level.
“I just know with our team, with where we are and with how many guys that we have in this league, if we’re not in a premium, maximum effort, we’ve got no chance. When that’s not at a maximum effort against this high-level team, we’re not going to win any games. We’re going to have to fight to a maximum effort more than anybody.”
“That’s how it’s been my whole career here,” Tyree said, “especially when you’re a guy that everybody expects to produce. You have to bring it every night. I agree with Coach. If we don’t play our best, it’s going to be hard for us to win, but if we play our hardest, we can beat anybody.”
