After a hard-fought contest against No. 6 Kentucky to open the Gators’ SEC men’s basketball schedule last Saturday, Florida travels to Oxford on Wednesday for a meeting with the Ole Miss Rebels.

The meeting will be the first road SEC game of the season for coach Todd Golden and his group, who enter Wednesday’s 9 p.m. game with a 10-4 record. Meanwhile, the No. 23 Rebels (13-1) have started off strong but are coming off of a blow-out loss against No. 5 Tennessee.

Steve Russell spoke with Marc Dukes, a member of Ole Miss’s radio team, Tuesday to discuss the upcoming matchup.

Buying into Beard’s Culture

Ole Miss is in the midst of its first season with Chris Beard at the helm. The former Texas head coach left Austin in a cloud of controversy, but the Rebels took a chance on hiring him. So far, it has paid off.

Beard led Ole Miss to 13 consecutive wins to tip-off the 2023-24 season. The early success can in part be credited to the “buy-in” of this Rebels team to Beard’s system and culture.

Another area of success so far for the Rebels is the offense. Compared to last year’s group, Ole Miss has been shooting the ball with more confidence, which has seen the Rebels’ points per game jump by almost 10 points.

“One of the big differences, I think, is the confidence the players have offensively this year,” Dukes said. “They’re shooting the ball really well.”

While there are still several areas for Ole Miss to improve, the direction the program is heading this early into his time in Oxford is a step in the right direction.

Florida vs. Ole Miss: Keys to the Game

Among the important keys to the game for both sides will be rebounding. Ole Miss has been outrebounded in several of the team’s victories, averaging a -2.4 rebound margin. Meanwhile, Florida has been impressive on the glass, averaging a +10.6 rebound margin.

The Rebels also continue to be a work in progress on the defensive end of the floor, which should grant the Gators high-percentage scoring opportunities. However, Dukes is confident Ole Miss is improving on defense as it gets comfortable with Beard’s system.

A major area of struggle for Golden’s group has been free-throw shooting. Florida is shooting just above 65% from the charity stripe as a team, which ranks 321st in Division I. In the Gators’ home loss to Kentucky, the team went a combined 18-for-29 (.620)  from the line.

Against an Ole Miss team struggling on the glass, Florida will need to take advantage of its second-chance opportunities and convert free throws to get the victory on the road.

Both Teams Looking for First SEC Victory

Both the Gators and Rebels come into Wednesday’s tilt after dropping their SEC openers.

Florida led against Kentucky for much of the game, but failed to close out what would have been a crucial Quadrant I win. Meanwhile, the Rebels fell behind Tennessee early and never really got back into the game.

The Rebels will rely heavily on a trio of players who have helped them start the year strong. Matthew Murrell has scored 10 or more points in 13 of the Rebels’ 14 games, including three contest with 20+ points. The IMG Academy product has shot the ball well and is a scoring threat from anywhere on the floor. Jaemyn Brakefield has also had a strong start to the season, especially as of late. The senior has five consecutive games with 15 or more points, including a 27 point performance against California.

As for the Gators, they will need the team’s leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. and junior guard Will Richard to return to their red-hot form. The two shot a combined 3-for-18 from the field in the loss against Kentucky. While Florida does have a variety of players who are able to score, it’ll be important for two of the Gators’ stars to step up on the road.

With both teams in search of their first SEC wins of the season, Wednesday night’s game in Oxford should have a lot of intensity. The SEC Network and 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF will provide coverage.