Ole Miss Rebels vs Southern Jaguars Picks and Predictions December 17th 2024

No. 17 Ole Miss Aims to Improve Defense, Depth Against Southern

Ole Miss (9-1) is building momentum as it looks to sharpen its defense and deepen its bench heading into the heart of the season. The No. 17 Rebels host Southern (5-4) on Tuesday night in Oxford, Miss., fresh off an encouraging 77-46 win over Southern Miss.

Ole Miss Focused on Defense and Depth

The Rebels’ dominant performance against Southern Miss marked their best defensive effort of the season, holding the Golden Eagles to their lowest point total of the year. Head coach Chris Beard has made defensive intensity a cornerstone of his program, with standout guard Sean Pedulla embodying that philosophy.

Pedulla, who drained six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 18 points, earned Beard’s praise not for his offense, but for his commitment on the defensive end.

“He was very competitive on defense,” Beard said. “I think if you’re thinking about the right things, getting stops, playing team defense, the offense normally takes care of itself.”

The Rebels used the lopsided contest to build depth, with eight players logging at least 16 minutes. Beard emphasized that such opportunities are essential for long-term success, especially as Ole Miss prepares for SEC play.

“You have to have depth in college basketball,” Beard said. “Certainly in the SEC, you’ve got to have depth, so we’re in the process of still building that.”

Ole Miss has three games remaining before its Jan. 4 conference opener against Georgia, including matchups against Queens and Memphis after Tuesday’s clash with Southern.

Short-Handed Southern Faces Another Challenge

Southern enters the game on a four-game winning streak, but the Jaguars’ depth has been tested. They have been without starting center Delang Muon all season and are uncertain about the availability of Tidjiane Dioumassi, an All-SWAC guard who has missed the past two games.

Despite the absences, Southern has shown flashes of resilience, earning back-to-back road wins over Louisiana Tech (73-70) and Tulsa (70-66) earlier this month. However, head coach Kevin Johnson was not thrilled with his team’s first-half performance in a 94-69 victory over NAIA opponent Lindsey Wilson College last Tuesday.

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“You win two road games and come home and think because you’re playing an NAIA opponent it’s not going to be as hard,” Johnson said. “But we turned it up in the second half, and that was important.”

Junior college transfer Michael Jacobs, Southern’s second-leading scorer at 11.1 points per game, is starting to find his rhythm. Jacobs posted 23 points against Lindsey Wilson but admitted he’s still adapting to the Jaguars’ system.

“I’m taking it one game at a time,” Jacobs said. “My teammates are helping me a lot. I’m starting to catch on, but I’m not where I want to be yet.”

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Key Matchups to Watch

• Ole Miss’ Defense vs. Southern’s Guard Play: If the Rebels can maintain their defensive intensity, they could make life difficult for Jacobs and Southern’s backcourt.
• Ole Miss’ Depth: With the Jaguars short-handed, Beard may again rotate his reserves to develop contributors for the SEC schedule.

Stat Comparison

• Ole Miss Scoring: 83.3 points per game
• Southern Scoring: 72.3 points per game
• Ole Miss Defense: 66.8 points allowed per game
• Southern Defense: 74.2 points allowed per game

Prediction

Ole Miss’ balanced attack and improving defense should overwhelm a short-handed Southern squad. Expect the Rebels to continue developing their depth while cruising to a comfortable victory.