Sean Pedulla comes up with another big shot for Ole Miss but this one might have been his best
MILWAUKEE — I do not know if Sean Pedulla has a nickname or moniker already bestowed upon him by his Ole Miss teammates but if not there is an easy, low-hanging fruit one for him.
‘Big Shot Sean’
When the Rebels were in dire need of some points after North Carolina erased a 22-point deficit down to two Pedulla was once again there. He drained a three-point shot to put Ole Miss back up five and arguably considered the winning shot in the 71-64 victory on Friday.
The basket sent the Rebels to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. But also cemented Pedulla’s legacy in his one season in Oxford.
“I think on this stage, yeah, especially because at that point in the game, they were on a huge run and we needed that bucket,” Pedulla said. “So I just, like I said, shot it with confidence and the rest was in God’s hands.”
The senior transfer guard is making a habit of these clutch shots, dating back to last week’s Southeastern Conference tournament. Pedulla drained a three-point shot with 1.7 seconds left to beat Arkansas and advance to the quarterfinals.
On Friday he finished with a game-high 20 points and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc (2-4).
Understandably, Pedulla was the popular person on the stage in the postgame press conference, even Jaylen “JuJu” Murray was happy to let his teammate take the reins.
“We got Sean Pedulla, man. Ask all the questions of Sean. I’m happy to be part of the team with Sean Pedulla,” Muray said.
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For a team to make a tournament run there needs to be a player that can have those moments and Ole Miss has one.
Similar to the Marshall Henderson days the Rebels have someone with a green light in Pedulla. Though Henderson’s might be the greenest light of them all.
The trust Murray and the rest of the Rebels have in their teammate is echoed by the trust head coach Chris Beard has in Pedulla.
“It’s special. I love it for the Ole Miss fans and our family and friends,” Pedulla added. “I especially love it for this group of guys that I go to battle with every single day. This coaching staff puts in countless of hours so that we can succeed as a team. There’s a whole lot of sacrifice that goes into a game like today. Very happy for Ole Miss.”
More potential moments await for Pedulla as Ole Miss will get the chance to reach the Sweet 16, taking on Iowa State on Sunday.
