SEC gauntlet continues as No. 22 Missouri meets No. 16 Ole Miss

There is strong enthusiasm and fan support in Year 2 of coach Chris Beard's tenure at Ole Miss, but the rigors of Southeastern Conference play and two straight losses have tempered the good times.

Coming off a crushing one-point home loss Wednesday night, Beard and his No. 16 Rebels hit the road to face No. 22 Missouri on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

On its home court in front of the second-largest crowd (10,008) to watch a basketball game, Ole Miss (15-4, 4-2 SEC) was the better team against No. 13 Texas A&M for the first 36 minutes and led the entire time until the Aggies' Manny Obaseki drained a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.

Sean Pedulla led the Rebels with 16 points, but standout scorers Matthew Murrell (1-for-9 shooting) and Jaemyn Brakefield (4-for-12) struggled, including the latter's missed jumper with four seconds left on the game's final shot.

That turned a promising night and chance to climb to second place in the SEC into a two-game losing streak and the Rebels' first home defeat.

"We've got a hurt locker room right now," said Beard, whose side failed to score in the final 3:49 and were outscored 11-2 at the finish. "I thought we did everything we needed to do to win the game. The game was kind of mathematically over if we can just inbound the ball, make one or two passes and absorb their foul."

The disappointing setback came on the heels of last weekend's 84-81 overtime defeat at then-No. 15 Mississippi State.

Still, the overall good outweighs the two recent disappointments.

The Rebels' 74-64 throttling of No. 4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 14 is arguably the most impressive win in the powerhouse conference and figures to have an impact when the NCAA Tournament field is set.

Pedulla's 14.3 points per game tops the offense, while Jaylen Murray (11.8), Murrell (11.3) and Brakefield (10.2) also score in double figures.

Missouri (15-4, 4-2) is also trying to rebound from a loss and earn a signature victory that will resonate with the selection committee.

Coach Dennis Gates' squad, typically an offensive juggernaut, was held to a season low Tuesday night as Texas snapped the visitors' four-game winning streak with a 61-53 victory.

Free throws were a major story as the teams combined for 57 attempts. Missouri shot 70.4 percent from the stripe, while the home side hit 76.7 percent.

"We were 19-for-27 from the free-throw line," said Gates. "We've got to get on the road above 80 percent."

The Tigers also have four players scoring in double figures. Mark Mitchell leads with 13.4 points per game. Tamar Bates adds 12.8, while Caleb Grill (12.1) and Anthony Robinson II (10.3) follow close behind.

On the same night Ole Miss shocked Alabama, Grill was key with 22 points as visiting Missouri, a 10-point underdog, upset No. 5 Florida 83-82 and recorded their first road win over a top-five team since 2012.

In the series between the schools, Ole Miss holds a 17-8 edge and is 7-4 in Columbia. The Rebels have won the past two matchups after losing the previous five.

--Field Level Media