By: Parrish Alford – February 17, 2025
Ole Miss can still have a special regular season, but now it’s harder. The remaining schedule is unkind.
The talking heads made mention of two in-state schools competing and how that stirs the juices when Mississippi State and Ole Miss play basketball.
It’s not easy filling 2 ½ hours of air time, and the rivalry is always part of the discussion.
It just doesn’t mean nearly as much to the players and coaches as it once did. It means even less in the Transfer Portal Era, and it wasn’t a big motivator in the Bulldogs’ 81-71 win at Ole Miss Saturday night as State completed a season sweep of the Rebels.
I make that contention even though third-year Bulldogs coach Chris Jans has now won six out of seven in this series.
There are a handful of Mississippi kids around – three of them impacted play Saturday night – but roster-building far exceeds state boundaries and has for years. Before the portal, however, players jumped around less and more were exposed to the rivalry for longer periods of time, for more games, and would come to appreciate its significance to fans with mortgages.
Truth be told, maroon and white homeowners aren’t concerned with motivation now.
hope.
The Rebels’ NCAA teams I covered in 2013, 2015 and 2019 couldn’t say that.
As March comes into view, you are what you are, and these Rebels aren’t likely to find a more physical version of themselves.
Tough stretch for Rebels
Ole Miss can still have a special regular season, but now it’s harder. The remaining schedule is unkind.
There are five games left, and Ole Miss has road trips to improving Vanderbilt, No. 1 Auburn and No. 3 Florida.
The home games are Oklahoma and No. 5 Tennessee.
State has gotten Auburn, Florida and Tennessee out of the way but still must navigate No. 2 Alabama and No. 8 Texas A&M.
The Rebels have caught the nation’s attention enough to rise and fall in the rankings. If they don’t find another win or two in this imposing stretch they’ll become that March Madness hopeful for whom the talking heads say, “Yeah, but they haven’t finished strong.”
It’s been speculated that eight wins in the nation’s No. 1 conference will be enough for an at-large bid, but that’s not a theory Ole Miss wants to test.
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