Ole Miss basketball vs. Georgia: Scouting report, score prediction
Ole Miss basketball missed an opportunity to snap a losing skid against a reeling opponent when it lost at Vanderbilt Saturday. Against Georgia on Tuesday (6 p.m., SEC Network), the Rebels get another chance.
The Bulldogs (14-9, 4-6 SEC) have lost five out of their last six games as Ole Miss (9-14, 1-9) prepares for a trip to Stegeman Coliseum. The Rebels, by comparison, haven't won any of their last five and are 1-11 since Dec. 20.
Here's what to know heading into the clash.
A suddenly vulnerable Georgia defense
In three out of Georgia's four SEC wins this season, the Bulldogs have held their opponents under 70 points. The only exception came against South Carolina in overtime, and the Gamecocks are considered by KenPom's ratings to be the third-worst power conference team in the country.
The Bulldogs have gone 1-5 and allowed 82.3 points per game since they won in Oxford on Jan. 14. So what's changed?
The answer can be found at the 3-point line. Georgia opponents are shooting 37.2% from deep over that six-game stretch. In the Bulldogs' previous 17 contests, they allowed a 27.7% success rate.
But at 30.3%, the Rebels have the SEC's third-worst 3-point shooting percentage, ranking 331st out of 363 Division I teams as of Monday. There's certainly a weakness to expose there, but doubts exist over whether Ole Miss has the shooters to take advantage of it.
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Bulldogs depend on key guards for scoring
The only Georgia players averaging more than 7.7 points per game are guards Terry Roberts and Kario Oquendo.
Roberts leads the way with 15 points, followed by Oquendo at 12.4. But it was Oquendo who made the difference the last time these two teams met.
The 6-foot-4 Florida native scored the final 12 points of the game for the Bulldogs, who left the SJB Pavilion with a victory after the Rebels once again failed in a late-game situation.
It's unclear if the Bulldogs will have Roberts available for this game. He missed out against Texas A&M on Saturday due to a concussion.
Score prediction
Georgia 74, Ole Miss 68. It is tempting to pick Ole Miss here, given the uncertainty of Roberts' status and the Bulldogs' recent defensive woes. But the Rebels have done nothing to indicate that they're in a position to go on the road and beat a competitive team. They have given themselves opportunity after opportunity to close out games after hanging in them for 30-to-35 minutes and simply haven't done it. Until they do, it's hard to predict a change.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss basketball vs. Georgia: Scouting report, score prediction
