Ole Miss has Mizzou up next, as both teams scramble for Hoover

The Rebels host Missouri in Oxford Friday to Sunday, and it’s a critical series for postseason positioning, just not the conversation expected before the Rebels took a precipitous dive in recent weeks. The loser of the series between the Rebels and Tigers will be in severe danger of missing the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

Ole Miss, Missouri and Kentucky are all 7-14 in the league, the worst records in the conference after seven weekend series. The Rebels and Wildcats just lost series to Arkansas and Florida, respectively, and Missouri beat Mississippi State two out of three in Columbia.

Twelve of 14 SEC teams make the league tournament each season.

“They know all that because of you guys and the Internet,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “They understand and get it. I don’t think for me to say anymore about it makes us any better.”

In Bianco’s 20 seasons that have had a postseason, the Rebels have missed the SEC Tournament just twice — in 2002 (14-16) and 2011 (13-17). The field expanded from eight teams to 10 teams in 2012 and from 10 teams to 12 teams in 2013.

Ole Miss and Missouri both have the tiebreaker over Kentucky, courtesy of series wins.

Just ahead of those three teams, Florida, also an uncommon name near the bottom of the standings, having not missed Hoover since 2006, is 8-13.

South Carolina, Mississippi State and Alabama are all 9-12 in the SEC. The Rebels lost two of three to the Gamecocks and Bulldogs, and Alabama swept Ole Miss. The Rebels don’t play the Gators this season.

Ole Miss is currently No. 60 in the RPI and would likely need a 6-3 SEC finish to even be in the NCAA Regional at-large berth conversation. In addition to conference standing and record, the Rebels need a better overall resume.

Ole Miss is 2-5 against the top 25, with both wins against RPI No. 3 Auburn, and 3-8 against the top 50. Arkansas, which just took two of three from the Rebels in Fayetteville, is at No. 26. Alabama is at No. 53.

The Rebels’ remaining games from an RPI standpoint are series against Missouri (45), at LSU (17) and Texas A&M (12) and single games at Southern Miss (14) and at Arkansas State

Here are the remaining schedules for the bottom four teams in the SEC.

FLORIDA (8-13)

at Mississippi State (9-12)

at Missouri

South Carolina (9-12)

MISSOURI (7-14)

at Ole Miss

Florida

at Georgia (12-9)

OLE MISS (7-14)

Missouri

at LSU (12-9)

Texas A&M (12-9)

KENTUCKY (7-14)

Tennessee (19-2)

at South Carolina

Auburn (12-9)