On3 Things to Know: Ole Miss men's basketball heads to Auburn as regular season is wrapping up

The 2022-23 season is rapidly coming to a close for the Ole Miss men’s basketball team with at least five games left to put a pin in what has been a very disappointing year to say the least.

After snapping a five-game win streak by beating Georgia on the road earlier this month Ole Miss has since lost the last three games, including an overtime defeat at the hands of Mississippi State last Saturday in Oxford.

Ole Miss is going to finish in the bottom four of the Southeastern Conference standings for a second straight season after finishing in sixth place after the 2020-21 season. Regardless of if the Rebels (10-17, 2-12) manage to win out they will be playing on the first night of next month’s SEC Basketball tournament.

Next up on the farewell tour of this season is a game at Auburn on Wednesday before a final two-game homestand before finishing up the regular season at Missouri on March 4.

Lets take a closer look at the upcoming matchup, with game notes provided by Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations.

SERIES HISTORY VS. AUBURN

This will be the second meeting between Auburn and Ole Miss this season, and the 145th overall matchup in the series history. The two programs first met on February 10, 1928 when the Rebels won a 43-42 game in Alabama.

The home team holds the advantage in the series, with Ole Miss leading 43-27 in Oxford, and the Tigers leading in Alabama 52-17. Auburn holds a slight lead during the previous 10 contests 6-4, and during the Kermit Davis era 5-4, after winning the most recent game in Oxford last January by nine.

LAST MEETING: JANUARY 10, 2023 (L, 73-82, OXFORD, MISS.)

• The Rebels held a one-point lead at halftime, up 35-34 after the first 20 minutes of action, before Auburn took the second half 48-38 behind a 60.7% shooting clip from the field.
• One of his six 20-point games this season, Matthew Murrell led Ole Miss in scoring with 24 points, including a perfect 8-8 performance at the free throw line.
• The Tigers were led in scoring by Wendell Green Jr. with 23, while Johni Broome recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

Auburn sits in fifth in the most recent SEC standings with an overall record of 18-9, going 8-6 during conference games. After opening the season with eight-straight wins, the Tigers went 2-2 to take a 10-2 record into their SEC opener. Auburn picked up wins over Florida and Arkansas and lost to Georgia before defeating Ole Miss in Oxford. Between their games with the Rebels, Auburn went 5-6 with wins over Mississippi State, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and Missouri. The Tigers are most recently coming off a close loss to Vanderbilt 67-65 on February 18.

Johni Broome has been the leader for Auburn all season, as they currently own a team-best average of 14.0 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game. Over their last five games, Broome is averaging 15.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per outing, including a pair of double-doubles against Texas A&M and Missouri. Broome ranks second in the conference with nine double-doubles on the year, also among the best in the SEC in blocks (3rd, 61), total rebounds (2nd, 231), and rebounds per game (2nd, 8.9). Wendell Green Jr. has also been a key contributor for the Tigers this year, averaging 4.3 assists per game (3rd in SEC) and 1.7 steals per game (8th in SEC).

Three of the best four teams in the nation at defending the three-point shot are in the SEC, one of which is Auburn, who ranks third in the conference and fourth in the country with an opponent shooting percentage of 27.5% from deep. The Tigers also rank second in the SEC and ninth in the NCAA in blocks per game at 5.4. They also rank among the best in field goal percentage defense (39.2%, No. 11 NCAA), offensive rebounds per game (12.3, No. 29 NCAA), rebounds per game (37.8, No. 37 NCAA), scoring defense (64.8, No. 47 NCAA), and free throw attempts per game (20.6, No. 57 NCAA).

A DEFENSIVE GOAT

Recording a steal in the closing moments of the first half against Missouri, senior transfer Myles Burns collected the 400th steal of his collegiate career. Joining the Ole Miss program from Loyola New Orleans of the NAIA, Burns brought 358 steals from his four-time NAIA All-American career and has collected 60 since coming to Oxford. Counting his stats from the NAIA, Burns would become just the sixth person in NCAA men’s basketball history across all divisions to collect 400 career steals. He is the first Rebel to hit 60 steals in a season since Jason Smith had 73 in 1999.

THROUGH THE FIRE

Ole Miss has faced off with some of the best competition college basketball has to offer, as the Rebels current strength of schedule ranks 24th in the nation. With a combined opponent record of 420-283 (0.597), they have played against foes with a current NET ranking in the top-100 15 times, including 10 games against somebody in the top-50 and two in the top-five.

THEM REBS MOVE FAST

Ole Miss has been quick to react on defensive rebounds and turnovers, outscoring their opponents on fast-break opportunities by 105 this season (277-172). The Rebels have recorded more fast-break points than the other team in 20 of their 27 games.

DEEP POCKETS

The Rebels’ depth has been on full display this season, as the Ole Miss bench has accounted for about a third of the team’s scoring through 27 games (33.1%, 600 of 1,811 points). The Rebs have topped their opponents in bench points in 17 contests, and are outscoring their foes’ benches by 117 on the year (600 to 483).