Two ranked teams face off in Ole Miss and Iowa State. Which program gets their conference a win in the Big 12/SEC Challenge?
TV schedule: Saturday, January 26, 12:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: The Pavillion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi
Although teams such as Auburn, Mississippi State, and LSU aren’t participating in the 2019 Big 12/SEC Challenge, a surprising Ole Miss looks to be just as capable of beating anyone from the other conference based on how they’ve looked.
The Rebels stand at 14-4 (4-2) in the SEC after back-to-back wins over top-15 clubs Auburn and Mississippi State. It vaulted them from an afterthought all the way to No. 18 in the AP poll. Kermit Davis’s team has fallen back to earth as of late, losing to LSU and most recently, Alabama.
The 21-point defeat was concerning for Ole Miss on the road, with just one scorer (Terence Davis) reached double figures with 10 points. Breein Tyree, the team’s leading scorer on the season at 17 ppg, had just nine points on the night.
He and the Rebels look to rebound against Iowa State 14-5 (4-3), who are also coming off a loss. The Cyclones fell 80-76 at Kansas in a tough battle. Marial Shayok had 26 points to lead the way, while Michael Jacobson had a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds) in the game. Lindell Wigginton, last year’s team-leading scorer who has dealt with multiple injuries this season, finished with three points on 1-8 shooting off the bench.
Unlike a number of teams who are playing in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, both Ole Miss and Iowa State are safely projected into the upcoming NCAA Tournament. But neither wants to return to conference play on a two-game losing streak, which can snowball into multiple losses and a stressful situation.
This will come down to a matchup of strengths between the Rebels guard play and the Cyclones frontcourt. If Iowa State can stop Tyree and Davis from having big games, Ole Miss will struggle to keep up on offense.
Ole Miss clearly isn’t as bad as their preseason projections but they might not be top-25 worthy either. Iowa State is closer to that level and will prove it on Saturday.