Alabama basketball vs. Ole Miss: Score prediction, scouting report
Alabama basketball looks to score a victory over Ole Miss on Wednesday.
The Crimson Tide is fresh off a loss to Kentucky on the road, having allowed 117 points to the Wildcats. That tied the third-most Alabama has ever surrendered in a game in program history. It will look to bounce back with another road trip to start the week off with a game against the Rebels.
Ole Miss has won one game in the month of February, and that came against Missouri, who is winless in conference play this season. The Rebels fared fine in the first half of SEC play, but they have struggled to gain any traction since.
Now, Ole Miss will try to secure a signature win against the country's best offense.
Ahead of the matchup on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN2) in Oxford, here's a look at Ole Miss (19-8, 6-8 SEC) and how it stacks up with Alabama (19-8, 11-3).
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Projected starting lineup for Ole Miss vs. Alabama basketball
Guard Jaylen Murray (junior): 5-foot-11, 170 pounds. Averages: 13.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.4 blocks, 1.8 turnovers.
Guard Matthew Murrell (senior): 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. Averages: 17.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.8 turnovers.
Forward Allen Flanigan (senior): 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. Averages: 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, 2.1 turnovers.
Forward Jaemyn Brakefield (senior): 6-foot-8, 220 pounds. Averages: 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.3 turnovers.
Center Moussa Cisse (senior): 7-foot, 230 pounds. Averages: 4.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.5 blocks, 1 turnover.
Ole Miss' rotation vs. Alabama basketball
The Rebels have eight players who have received 10 or more minutes of playing time this season. In addition to the starters, Brandon Murray, TJ Caldwell and Jamarion Sharp are others who see minutes.
How Ole Miss stacks up with Alabama basketball in scoring, defense and tempo
KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Ole Miss is similar to Alabama in that its offense is better than its defense, but the Crimson Tide is better in both categories.
Alabama will also look to play significantly faster than the Rebels. KenPom measures the adjusted tempo statistic based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.
Adjusted offensive efficiency:
Ole Miss: 115.5 (40th nationally)
Alabama: 127.6 (1st)
Adjusted defensive efficiency:
Ole Miss: 104.5 (132nd nationally)
Alabama: 102.5 (97th)
Tempo
Ole Miss: 67 (234th nationally)
Alabama: 72.8 (12th)
Score prediction
Alabama 90, Ole Miss 80: Defense isn't the strength for either team, so figure for this game to be high scoring one again. The Crimson Tide will hit reset after the loss to Kentucky and rebound with a win on the road against the Rebels.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball, Ole Miss: Score prediction, scouting report