Mississippi @ Louisiana State preview
Bridgestone Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 9, 2021 ) Louisiana State 75, Mississippi 61
Ole Miss arrived at the SEC tournament hoping to win enough games to secure an NCAA Tournament bid.
The sixth-seeded Rebels (16-10) moved a step closer to securing an at-large bid if they don't win the SEC title with a 76-59 victory against 11th-seeded South Carolina in the second round Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn.
Another victory against third-seeded LSU in the quarterfinals on Friday night could be the last step for Ole Miss to reach the NCAAs.
Rebels coach Kermit Davis was asked after the victory against the Gamecocks if he thought one more win would do the trick.
"I do," Davis said, "but you never fully know all of the nuances of the bubble."
The Rebels lost four of their first five SEC games, but have won eight of their last 10 games overall, which includes a four-game winning streak.
Jarkel Joiner scored 18 points, Romello White added 17 and Devontae Shuler had 15 to lead Ole Miss, which lost to LSU 75-61 on Jan. 9 in Oxford, Miss.
"Last time we played them we weren't mentally ready," Joiner said. "This time we will be."
The Tigers (16-8) are headed to the NCAA Tournament and looking to improve their seeding and hone their game while in Nashville.
LSU has won its last two games and five of its last seven, but the Tigers' defense has been inconsistent as they rank 158th in rebounding margin.
"If we got to be a little better at rebounding in March, we'd be in business," LSU coach Will Wade said.
Freshman Cameron Thomas, who leads the SEC in scoring (23.1), said the key to the Tigers' tournament success is their attitude.
"If we go in there with the mindset that we want to be there, great things will happen," Thomas said. "We go in there with a bad mindset, bad things will happen."
Thomas' scoring is complemented by that of Trendon Watford (16.2), Javonte Smart (15.8) and Darius Days (11.7). When all four are scoring well, LSU is difficult to stay with -- provided its defense and rebounding are adequate.
"We just want to be able to put it together this upcoming stretch," Smart said. "I think if we do that, we're going to make some noise."
The winner of the Ole Miss-LSU game will face the winner of the Missouri-Arkansas game in the semifinals Saturday.
--Field Level Media