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No. 17 Ole Miss Focused on Improvement Ahead of Queens Matchup
Ole Miss may be riding a four-game winning streak, but head coach Chris Beard sees room for improvement as the No. 17 Rebels prepare to host Queens on Saturday in Oxford, Miss. The Rebels will look to tighten up their rebounding and ball control as they aim to extend their streak to five games.
Areas for Growth Despite Success
Ole Miss (10-1) comes into the matchup with a strong defensive identity, allowing just 63.9 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the Southeastern Conference. During their winning streak, they’ve held opponents to an average of 55.8 points.
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However, Tuesday’s 74-61 win over Southern highlighted some areas of concern. The Rebels were narrowly outrebounded (38-36) and committed a season-high 17 turnovers.
“We’re trying to become a better rebounding team, and tonight, the bottom line is we didn’t get it done,” Beard said after the game. “It’s been an early part of our identity, and tonight was our worst performance in terms of just turnovers.”
Offensive Highlights
Despite those struggles, the Rebels continue to produce offensively, averaging 81.9 points per game and shooting 47.8 percent from the field.
Jaylen Murray led the way against Southern with 18 points, shooting 11-for-18 over his last two games. Jaemyn Brakefield has delivered back-to-back double-digit scoring games, while Dre Davis has reached double figures in seven of the last 10 contests.
Sean Pedulla, Ole Miss’ leading scorer, will aim to bounce back after a tough night in which he shot 2-for-11 from the field. Pedulla is averaging 42.9 percent shooting for the season and had been 17-for-33 in the three games prior to Tuesday.
Queens Riding Momentum
Queens (7-5) enters the contest with a four-game winning streak, though their previous matchups against power conference opponents resulted in heavy losses to Utah and BYU.
The Royals are coming off a 73-66 home victory over Mercer, where their defense shone. Queens held Mercer to 37.9 percent shooting from the field and a mere 16 percent from beyond the arc.
“Our defensive effort tonight was phenomenal,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said. “Even though it wasn’t our best shooting night, it was a really good defensive effort.”
Leo Colimerio, the Royals’ leading scorer at 10.9 points per game, had a double-double against Mercer with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Colimerio has shown flashes of brilliance, including a 27-point outing against Gardner-Webb, but has also struggled, scoring just one point in games against Utah and BYU.
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What to Watch
Ole Miss will be looking to iron out their weaknesses in rebounding and ball control as they face a Queens team that thrives on defensive intensity. The Rebels will also aim to maintain their offensive consistency as they prepare for a tough upcoming schedule, including a showdown with No. 21 Memphis and the start of SEC play.
For Queens, Saturday’s game represents another opportunity to measure themselves against a ranked opponent. The Royals’ defensive resilience could pose challenges for an Ole Miss team working through recent struggles.
