Ole Miss hosts Mississippi State with both teams slumping

In-state rivals tangle in an effort to revive their fading NCAA Tournament hopes as Mississippi State visits Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

The Rebels have lost six consecutive games, the Bulldogs have dropped eight of their last nine, and both appear to be out of the NCAA Tournament picture, as they are currently outside the top 80 of the NCAA's NET Rankings.

Ole Miss (11-13, 3-8 Southeastern Conference) has not only dropped six games in a row, but the last three losses have come by a combined 48 points. The Rebels lost at home against Alabama 93-74 on Wednesday.

Ole Miss was within two points at the half but allowed 61 second-half points as Alabama drained 17 3-pointers in the game. AJ Storr scored 27 points off the bench for the Rebels, shooting 10-for-17, and Eduardo Klafke added 12 points and nine rebounds in the loss.

"Our defense not only didn't do a good job defending the three tonight, we couldn't force turnovers as well," Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. Beard later noted, "This team continues to fight ... I appreciate how (the players) approached the tough times that we've gone through this season."

Mississippi State (11-13, 3-8) has faced its share of challenges. Four of the Bulldogs' recent losses were by 20 or more points. The Bulldogs fell 73-64 to Tennessee on Wednesday.

They trailed by 23 points at the midpoint of the second half but went on an 18-0 run to close the gap to 63-58 with 5:15 remaining. However, the Bulldogs couldn't get any closer.

Mississippi State was outrebounded 45-31 and came up short despite 31 points from veteran guard Josh Hubbard, who shot 13-for-24, including 4-for-9 from 3-point range. Hubbard was the only Bulldog who scored in double figures.

"We certainly have been inconsistent," Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said.

Jans praised the team's second-half run, but noted, "It's got to be from the get-go. It's got to be all the time."