By Parrish Alford
Fans focus on the promise of a quick fix, but transfer portal rebuilds aren’t always magical.
Ole Miss’ run to the Sweet 16 was less than a year ago, but stockpiled losses this non-conference season and a blowout loss at middling Oklahoma to start SEC play have made it seem much longer.
Something, though, clicked for the Rebels in the second half against Arkansas on Jan. 7. Down 10 at home at the half, they outscored the Razorbacks 55-52 over the final 20 minutes.
The last three outings, wins at home against Missouri, at then-No. 21 Georgia and at rival Mississippi State, they’ve shown an ability to finish close games and on the road, no less.
“The game came down the last couple of possessions, and we made one more play than them,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said in the postgame late Saturday.
But Saturday’s 68-67 win in Starkville is no absolution for the sins of November and December.
It has, however, pumped life back into the program, and while it guarantees nothing in terms of repeating last spring’s madness it does guarantee a chance for Ole Miss, No. 79 in the NCAA’s latest net rankings, to play meaningful games in March if they keep adding wins – starting Tuesday night at 8 at SJB Pavilion against Auburn.
Beard cited his team’s improved rebounding as a key factor.
The Rebels didn’t outrebound the Bulldogs but were competitive, just minus-3 on the glass. That and just five turnovers for the game allowed Ole Miss to win while shooting just 2-for-20 behind the arc.
Ole Miss is tied for last in the SEC in rebound margin at plus-0.4 per game.
Auburn, which has won the last nine against Ole Miss, is led by first-year coach Steven Pearl, who was announced his the replacement for his father, Bruce Pearl, on Sept. 22, days before the start of the season.
Ilias Kamardine, the Rebels’ 6-foot-5 guard and one of eight portal additions, is new to the SEC but has a good understanding of the immediate future.
“Every game is another story because this league is very tough. We have to keep going and try to improve every game,” he said.
While the Rebels made the “one more play” to beat the Bulldogs it came at the expense of State’s best player, Josh Hubbard, who missed two free throws with 12 seconds left and couldn’t convert a contested layup down the right side of the lane at the buzzer.
Hubbard finished with 13 points, well below his league-leading average of 22.2.
Six-foot-two guard Jayden Epps, one of this portal transfers for State, led the Bulldogs with 14 points, but he and Hubbard were a combined 7-for-34 from the floor, 3-of-20 from the arc.
The Bulldogs have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of Chris Jans’ first three seasons as coach but have yet to advance, losing to Pittsburgh in a First Four game in Dayton in 2023, then in 8-9 games to Michigan State in 2024 and Baylor last year.
Some fans have shared their frustration on social media.
The strategy of piling on wins would be a good one for State as well. The Bulldogs next play Wednesday at 8 against Texas A&M. The Aggies (14-4, 4-1 SEC) play an uptempo style that Jans says is uncommon in this day.
“It’s a very unique style,” Jans said. “You don’t see it very often. You’ve got to do some things different in preparation. You’re going to see more press attacks and different ways to press in one game than we’ve seen in all the games combined. Offensively it’s the same way. They just don’t take their foot off the gas.”
It’s a style that’s benefitted the Aggies well under first-year coach Bucky McMillan, who was Southern Conference coach of the year three times in five seasons at Samford.
The Aggies are averaging 91.9 points, eighth nationally.
The Bulldogs (10-8, 2-3) have played winning basketball in the SEC, Jans said. They just haven’t played it wire-to-wire, and that’s a trait that loses games.
State held Ole Miss to 27 first-half points and led by three at the break.
“Our first-half defense in the five SEC games is really, really good … across the country good,” Jans said. “But the second half is the other end of the spectrum. It’s been poor, and that’s been frustrating.”
Beard thought a three-point halftime deficit in a rival’s raucous gym was a good spot for the Rebels.
Ole Miss shot 51.5% from the floor to State’s 34.3% in the second half.
As they chugged to the finish line they were similar in most other categories, though State’s four missed free throws in 12 attempts loomed large.
Beard said half court defense and a recommitment to the game plan were key for his team down the stretch.
“We felt good about the position we were in at halftime,” Beard said. “We really weren’t making shots, but we were getting quality shots. Playing on the road in the SEC you just want to give yourself a chance.”
Parrish Alford, a two-time Mississippi sports writer of the year, was raised in Denham Springs, Louisiana and graduated from Northeast Louisiana University before the school changed its name to Louisiana-Monroe.
He’s covered college sports in Mississippi since 1989, spending time as a beat writer for multiple seasons at each of the state’s Division I schools.
He’s most known for his work as a beat writer and columnist for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo, where he spent 30 years.
He is the author of “Habitual Deadline – sports stories of three-plus decades from the guy who came and stayed.”
A Christian, husband, father and grandfather, he is currently the editor of American Family News (AFN.net), a division of American Family Association.
