Rebels Aiming to Break Through On The Road

Ole Miss has been strong on serve in the sense that it is 4-0 at home in SEC play so far this season.Â

Inside the confines of The Pavilion, the Rebels have flipped the script from three overtime losses in the non-conference season and have become a tough team to beat at home. The evidence of that is in the Rebels' wins over the likes of Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.Â

But it has been a different story in the five true road games the team has played this season, in which it is 0-5 (0-4 in league games). Andy Kennedy has made no bones about it. In order for Ole Miss to get where it wants to go come postseason time in March, the Rebels are going to have to break through on the road. At 11-9 (4-4 SEC), the Rebels need more feathers in their cap if they want to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The conference itself is helping them out in that regard.

"The great thing about this league this year is that it provides a lot of opportunities," Kennedy said. "We have a lot of opportunities ahead of us, starting this Saturday."

The Rebels travel to Texas on Saturday to participate in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Â The Longhorns sit in a similar slot to Ole Miss with a 13-7 (4-4 Big 12) record plopped in the middle of the crowded Big 12 standings, a conference that has been tough from top to bottom just like the SEC.Â

The Rebels have been close to breaking through on the road and it is pretty clear they're playing much better basketball than they were a month ago. Ole Miss was a Breein Tyree three-ball that was spat out halfway inside the rim away from winning at Texas A&M last Tuesday, and were within two points in the final minute at Arkansas after surviving a brutal storm of shooting. Â Kennedy sees them getting closer and knows his team is playing better.Â

"The way we played against Florida gave us a lot of momentum going to Texas A&M, and we had a chance," Kennedy said. "We knew Arkansas would be tough because their backs should be against the wall because they had lost a couple in a row. They shot lights out. For us to even be in that game, I was a little surprised because they scored 97 points, shot 55 percent from the floor."

Ole Miss never held a lead in the second half in Fayetteville, but were right on the doorstep the entire time.

"We cut it to two and just could not make the play," Kennedy said. "At home, we have been fortunate enough to do that."

So what is it going to take to find tangible success on the road?

"Defense," senior guard Deandre Burnett said. "At home, they're (opponents) shooting under 40 percent from the field and on the road they're shooting 48 percent. Obviously, you can't go on the road and beat a team shooting 48 percent. That is what will be key."

To back up Burnett's assertion, the Rebels have given up an average of 80 points per game in its five true road games compared to under 73 in all others. Burnett thinks that can change if the team is able to throw the first blow instead of absorbing one.

"It's our energy, coming out fast off the jump," Burnett said. "Being able to take a punch and punch back. Credit to them, the teams we have played on the road have been good teams, but in those games, we are right there."

What has surprised Kennedy about his team's struggles on the road is perhaps the very thing that gives him hope they'll be able to break through.

"Every season you go into it thinking this team will be good at this or whatever it may be," Kennedy said. "What has been surprising to me is the fact that we have not been better on the road. We have been better but not good enough to win. Because we do have experienced guards, typically if you have experienced guards, those are the guys that help you sustain the same level of competitiveness that you have at home."

Kennedy plays give guards in his rotation in Burnett, Breein Tyree, Devontae Shuler, Terence Davis and Markel Crawford. Burnett and Crawford are fifth-year seniors. Davis is in his junior season and Tyree has been through the rigors of an SEC season one time before. This group is the core of this team and the experience is there. Â Ole Miss is a top 30 team in the country in terms of fewest turnovers at just 11 per game.Â

"My message will continue to be to challenge the upperclassmen to lead us," Kennedy said. "To find a way to take the next step in our team's maturation."

The production has also been there of late. The guards combined for 63 points in Tuesday's win over Alabama with Burnett leading the way with 24. Terence Davis dropped 30 points on Arkansas after a bit of a slump, and the last two weeks and a half weeks have been the best Tyree has played all season.Â

"Our four veterans, if all four of them play well then we are pretty good basketball team," Kennedy said.

Ole Miss has been close and things are trending in a positive direction. Saturday will be another test in Austin, will this be where the Rebels finally break through?

"We know what this team can do," Burnett said. "And we are more than capable of doing it."

RebelsCalendar

Players Mentioned

Deandre Burnett

Terence Davis

Devontae Shuler

Breein Tyree

The University of Mississippi Athletics