NCAA Basketball: UConn, North Carolina, Wisconsin rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
22. Mississippi (15-1)
It certainly wasn’t always pretty, but Mississippi garnered national attention with their hot start to the season, winning their first 13 games. After an awful performance on the road against Tennessee, there wasn’t panic for Chris Beard’s squad and they bounced right back with two nice performances this week.
A fantastic offensive effort followed on Wednesday, with the Rebels winning 103-85 at home against Florida. Jaemyn Brakefield dropped 28 points, Matthew Murrell added 23, and Ole Miss topped 100 points for the first time this season. The shooting was far less potent on Saturday, but the Rebels still got a solid 69-56 home win against Vanderbilt. Murrell was fantastic again with 24 points and 6 rebounds as Ole Miss made it 2-1 in conference play.
We can’t ignore the performance in Knoxville, but the Rebels are unblemished in their other games and are set up for success this season. We’ll have to see how they continue to battle, especially with the top tier teams in a talent-filled SEC. It’s not going to be easy by any means, as the Rebels will play three of their next four on the road while hoping to avoid another letdown. Will this team prove they belong?