OXFORD — No moment was more impactful in Ole Miss basketball's loss to South Carolina at the SJB Pavilion Saturday than a blown whistle with 16:06 remaining in the first half.

The noise signaled a second foul for Ole Miss leading scorer Matthew Murrell, sending him to the bench for the majority of the half's remainder and dragging the Rebels' offense into complete disarray.

The Gamecocks outscored the Rebels by 15 with Murrell glued to the sidelines in the first half, building a comfortable halftime lead they used to hand Ole Miss its fifth defeat in six games, 72-59.

The Rebels (19-8, 6-8 SEC) shot just 27% in the first half and did not make a 3-pointer. The ball stuck in the hands of their secondary scorers, desperate to ignite a spark of individual brilliance in Murrell's absence.

Instead, Ole Miss settled for bad look after bad look.

When Murrell returned to the game in the second half and the Rebels reoriented themselves accordingly, it was too late. He played just 21 minutes and managed 10 points.

The Gamecocks (22-5, 10-4) have emerged as one of college basketball's pleasant surprises this season by playing at a slow, deliberate pace. Among power conference teams, only Virginia entered Saturday playing slower basketball.

That type of strategy is perfect for chewing clock and protecting a lead. Ole Miss played better in the second half, particularly on offense. But the Gamecocks remained comfortably in control, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout.

Ole Miss basketball's Allen Flanigan ejected

Ole Miss forward Allen Flanigan led Ole Miss with 11 points at the 16:53 mark of the second half, when he jogged back on defense and connected his elbow to the head of South Carolina's Zachary Davis.

After a review, the officials charged the fifth-year Auburn transfer with a Flagrant 2 and ejected him from the game.

Flanigan came into the game averaging 15.4 points per game.

What the loss means for Ole Miss basketball's NCAA Tournament hopes

In the month of February, Ole Miss has regressed from a comfortable inclusion in the March Madness field ‒ according to most prognosticators ‒ to a team living on the edge.

ESPN expert Joe Lunardi listed the Rebels on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble entering Saturday, tabbing coach Chris Beard's squad as the fourth team out of the field in his projections.

The loss, particularly the lopsided fashion in which it came, won't help.

The Gamecocks, impressive though they're been in SEC play, aren't a favorite of the NET – the metric the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses to help determine the field. South Carolina ranked 58th in the NET entering Saturday.

That means a considerable NET slide is likely coming for the Rebels, who ranked 68th in that metric pregame.

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Up next

Ole Miss will hope to bounce back when it welcomes Alabama to the SJB Pavilion on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN2).

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss basketball outclassed by South Carolina as offense sputters