The Ole Miss Rebels’ projected place in the NCAA Tournament changed this week following a lackluster home game against the South Carolina Gamecocks, but they were still included in the field. As per the latest bracketology forecasts by Joe Lunardi, Ole Miss is slated to receive one of the “last four byes” in the NCAA Tournament field. The school will start as an 11-seed in the Los Angeles leg of the bracket and face the sixth-seeded BYU Cougars in Omaha.
As of this Saturday writing, the Cougars had a 16-6 overall record and a 4-5 record in conference play. After losing their first game in the Southeastern Conference against the Auburn Tigers (91-77) and then to South Carolina (68-65), the Rebels (18-5, 5-5 SEC) have now lost two straight games.
Ole Miss’s objective going forward is still to maintain its current position in the NCAA Tournament field and to make sure that it stays in the bracket as a whole. The Rebels have plenty of opportunity going ahead to win conferences, so winning those games late in the game is the only way to accomplish that. But the upcoming match is undoubtedly a challenge. The Rebels will have the chance to defeat one of the most well-known brands in college basketball when they travel to Rupp Arena on Tuesday to play the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky is presently ranked as the sixth seed in the East Region of the tournament according to Lunardi’s projections.
Tuesday’s matchup between Ole Miss and Kentucky is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN.
