After grinding out its first Southeastern Conference win Thursday night, a 66-63 victory at Arkansas, Mississippi State is back home Sunday afternoon to take on rival Ole Miss for a 4 p.m. tip.
The Rebels (12-4, 2-1 SEC) won both meetings against the Bulldogs in 2022-23 on their way to the program’s deepest NCAA Tournament run since 2007. This year, Ole Miss suffered an early home loss to Oklahoma, fell on the road against a ranked Louisville team in the ACC/SEC Challenge and were upset three days later at Southern Miss. Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s team has strong non-conference wins in the Bahamas over Arizona and Michigan.
After opening SEC play by defeating Alabama in a defensive battle, the Rebels gave No. 7 LSU all it could handle last Sunday in a third-quarter rally before falling short. Ole Miss then edged Auburn by three at home Thursday after holding off a furious Tigers rally in the fourth quarter.
Marquesha Davis, in her second season in Oxford after spending three years at Arkansas, leads the Rebels with 12.2 points per game, while leading rebounder Madison Scott is the only other Ole Miss player averaging double-digit scoring. As a team, the Rebels average just 66.9 points per contest, ahead of only Georgia among SEC squads. Ole Miss is dead last in the conference in 3-point percentage, making less than a quarter of their attempts from long range.
Where the Rebels shine is on the defensive end. Only South Carolina blocks more shots per game in the SEC than Ole Miss, which has held 11 of its 16 opponents to under 60 points. The Rebels are third in the conference in field goal percentage defense.
“For Ole Miss to be good, it’s great for the state,” MSU head coach Sam Purcell said. “I’ve got three little kids, (and) they want young women to look up to. It’s more than just Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss. It’s the platform and the opportunity (with) two great programs. We went to the second round last year, and they made history last year and knocked off Stanford and went to the Sweet 16. It only makes us better when these matchups occur.”
Here are three keys to victory for the Bulldogs (14-4, 1-2) as they look to take the first leg of this year’s rivalry series.
Start connecting on the 3-ball
MSU’s two worst performances of the season in terms of 3-point shooting have come in its last two games. After going 3-for-19 in last Sunday’s loss to South Carolina, the Bulldogs were 2-of-14 against Arkansas, and the quartet of Debreasha Powe, Jerkaila Jordan, Darrione Rogers and Lauren Park-Lane is a combined 10-for-46 from deep through three SEC games. The Bulldogs remain fourth in the conference overall in 3-point percentage, so this is likely nothing more than an extended funk, but they would do well to find their stroke again to overcome a strong defensive team.
Play good interior defense
From an offensive philosophy standpoint, Ole Miss could not be much more different than Arkansas. The Rebels are slow and methodical, rarely hoisting shots early in possessions. If Jessika Carter and Erynn Barnum can win their matchups in the post, Ole Miss may be forced to take more outside shots, something the Rebels simply are not very comfortable doing.
Force Ole Miss to play from behind
MSU’s ability to control the first half could take the Rebels out of their rhythm, by forcing them to play outside of their identity on both sides of the ball. Especially if the Bulldogs can go up by double digits, Ole Miss will have to speed things up on offense, which could lead to costly turnovers. The team that takes the early lead will dictate the pace of this game.
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