NCAA Basketball: Arizona, UConn, Marquette, Baylor all fall in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
25. Mississippi (12-0)
Gazing upon the schedule, Chris Beard’s team hasn’t exactly been challenged in the nonconference slate. You could easily make an argument that these Rebels are not one of the best teams in the nation, with their most impressive performances coming against the likes of NC State and Memphis. However, they are one of the final unbeaten teams and have at least lived up to any preseason hype.
They continued their winning ways this past week, beginning with a 74-53 home win over Troy back on Tuesday. Matthew Murrell had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Jaemyn Brakefield added 17 points, and the Rebels had another solid team effort. The Rebels racked up another home win over the weekend, notching an 89-72 victory against Southern Miss. This time Murrell had 26 points while Jaylen Murray was good for 25 in the team’s 12th straight win to open the season.
While that early December win over Memphis looks fantastic at this point, there’s not a lot of greatness on this schedule. After all the Rebels barely survived home games against Detroit and Sam Houston State and haven’t really had a breakout performance, even against some of these inferior opponents. However, they’ve done more than enough to catch onto the national radar, remain unbeaten, and get a date with Bryant on New Year’s Eve as their last pre-SEC contest.