Bracket Watch: Ole Miss still on track for March history with latest 'Bracketology' projections
The closing stretch of February has been a rough one for the Ole Miss basketball program but despite some setbacks in the last couple weeks history still awaits in March.
In the history of the programs the men’s and women’s teams have never reached their respective NCAA Tournaments in the same season. Heading into the final three days of February that streak is still on pace to be ended.
The Ole Miss men’s team has dropped two straight with losses to Mississippi State on February 15 and at Vanderbilt this past Saturday. Now the Rebels (19-8, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) are faced with the tall order of going to No. 1 Auburn on Wednesday to try and snap out of the skid and also change the direction they are going on the seed chart.
With the pair of losses ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has dropped Ole Miss down to the 7 Seed of the West Region (San Francisco). The Rebels would start against 10 Seed VCU in Milwaukee for the first round with a potential second round matchup against either 2 Seed Iowa State or 15 Seed Norfolk State.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports also moved the Rebels down but not as much as Lunardi. In Palm’s ‘Bracketology’ update on Monday the Rebels were the 6 Seed in the East Region (Newark), taking on 11 Seed VCU in the first round in Providence, Rhode Island. A second round matchup could be against either 3 Seed Michigan or 14 Seed Towson.
Despite the slide the Rebels are still considered firmly in the 68-team field and not on the bubble, for now. ESPN’s ‘Bubble Watch’ still has Ole Miss with a 96 percent chance to reach the tournament and considered a lock to get in and snap the five-year NCAA Tournament drought.
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Ole Miss women still hovering around host seed territory
Sunday’s two-point win over Missouri might end up being much bigger than it felt for Ole Miss on Senior Day.
The bounce-back win after the loss at No. 15 Tennessee the week prior put the Rebels (18-8, 9-5 SEC) back on track and also still within reach of earning one of the top four seeds and hosting the first and second round for the first time since 1994.
Charlie Creme of ESPN projects Ole Miss as a 5 Seed in Region 3 Birmingham in his latest ‘Bracketology’ update on Tuesday. The Rebels would play 12 Seed Middle Tennessee in the first round in Manhatten, Kansas. A potential second round matchup would be against either host team and 4 Seed Kansas State or 13 Seed Ball State.
With two games remaining in the regular season Ole Miss is going to have to defeat one or both top 10 teams to move into that host seed picture. The Rebels host No. 6 South Carolina on Thursday in their home finale then travel to No. 7 LSU on Sunday to close out the regular season before heading to Greenville, South Carolina next week for the SEC Tournament.
