Basketball fans on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are in for a treat this weekend.
No. 19 Ole Miss and Southern Miss will continue a newfound tradition of showcasing their talents against one another in the Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi on Saturday at 3 p.m., allowing area fans of each program to see their favorite team in action on the hardwood.
Both head coaches see this as an opportunity to bring the game to fans in different areas of the state as an appeal for them to be inclined to make the trip up to Oxford or Hattiesburg for future matchups.
“We think one of the responsibilities of being at Ole Miss is to try to play games that are convenient for all of our alumni and fans. We’ve got a lot of Ole Miss graduates on the coast,” Rebel head coach Chris Beard said on SportsTalk Mississippi. “We’ve also got some people who are just enjoying being on the coast on a good December weekend. And I think the same with Southern Miss — they’ve got a lot of alumni and fans in that area too.”
Ole Miss won last year’s in-state showdown with Southern Miss 89-72 in the half-full coast arena. Beard and Southern Miss frontman Jay Ladner hope to see their respective fanbases have a much stronger showing on Saturday than in the previous affair.
The Rebels come into Saturday’s matchup with an 8-1 record, with the lone loss coming to No. 11 Purdue in a one-score thriller. Beard’s club features a multitude of scorers. Ole Miss has four players averaging double-digits on the scoreboard, with Virginia Tech transfer Sean Pedulla’s average of 14 points per game leading the way.
An efficient team all around, Ole Miss ranks third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Rebels have yet to lose the turnover battle this year with Jaylen Murray and Pedulla have led that effort. Murray is posting 4.8 assists while Pedulla is responsible for 2.3 steals per game.
Ole Miss was without guard Matthew Murrell in the Rebels’ most recent outing this past weekend, but Beard has listed the standout senior as probable to suit up against the Golden Eagles.
Southern Miss has experienced early ebbs and flows this year. In the Golden Eagles’ last three outings, the team squeaked out a one-point win over Milwaukee, dominated Alabama State, and got blown out at Tulane by 28 points. Sitting at 4-5, a win over a ranked SEC foe would give Ladner’s club a much-needed spark.
Denijay Harris has been Southern Miss’ anchor this year, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and minutes played. Harris is currently averaging 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds while logging 32.8 minutes of action. The 6-foot-7 forward also has a team-best 1.6 blocks per game.
The upcoming game won’t be the first time the Rebels appeared in an off-campus Mississippi venue this season. Last month, Ole Miss took on Colorado State in Southaven and walked away a 15-point victor. While the team handled business in what was expected to be a heavy home crowd, the Landers Center was sparsely attended.
Saturday’s meeting will be the 26th time the programs have played one another. Tickets can be found here. Ole Miss holds the all-time series lead 19-6. For those unable to make it down south, the contest will be streamed on SEC Network+ and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Mississippi State will be joining its in-state counterparts in growing the game outside of its college campus. The Lady Bulldogs will play Belmont at Cadence Bank Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m. and the men’s team will face Will Wade-led McNeese squad in the Tupelo venue at 5 p.m.
