Ole Miss aims to continue ascent vs. Memphis

Ole Miss will try to continue its undefeated start to the season as Memphis works on bouncing back from its first loss.

The rivals will meet Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.

The Rebels (6-0) won three consecutive games by a combined total of five points before producing their biggest margin of victory of the season Tuesday when they defeated North Carolina State 72-52 in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

"That was definitely a step in the right direction," first-year Rebels coach Chris Beard said.

Ole Miss did not trail in the game in which Jaemyn Brakefield scored a career-high 25 points and Allen Flanigan had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

"We're just getting better every day," Beard said.

The Rebels will see Oklahoma State transfer Moussa Cisse make his debut Saturday. The 7-footer received a waiver from the NCAA as a two-time transfer to become eligible right away.

"Moussa is a talented player," Beard said. "I don't think his height defines him. He's obviously an athlete, Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 (last season). He'll make our team better."

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway is looking for a better performance from his team after a 79-63 loss to Villanova in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Nov. 24 in the Bahamas.

"Hopefully, this is our wake-up call," Hardaway said.

The Tigers (5-1) fell behind 16-2, trailed 44-16 at halftime and by as many as 35 points in the second half.

Memphis made a 21-0 run during the second half before running out of steam.

Hardaway tried to keep the loss in perspective considering that the Tigers defeated Michigan and Arkansas on consecutive nights to reach the title game.

"We can't take this entire (tournament) and just be in the dumps because we lost to a good team," he said. "We beat two really good teams."

—Field Level Media