Ole Miss Media Relations Contributed to this Report
Just 48 hours after playing one of the most memorable basketball games in school history, Ole Miss will take on Xavier in Jacksonville, Fla. today at 3:10 PM Oxford Standard Time. The Local Voice will be in attendance at the game with coverage. Follow us on twitter @LocalAthletics or Instagram (LocalAthletics) for updates, commentary and the overall experience of tournament.
After the 94-90 win over BYU in Dayton ended around 11 PM, the team did interviews, showers and packed and left at 12:30 a.m., flew to Jacksonville and then arrived at their hotel around 4:30 a.m., before starting preparations for sixth-seeded Xavier that included a shootaround Wednesday evening at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
Xavier hasn’t played a game since March 14 when they lost to Villanova in the Big East Championship Game. Advantage or disadvantage?
“The disadvantage that we have per our opponent is obviously what we just described, the physical demands of what it’s taken to get here,” Head Coach Andy Kennedy said. “The advantage that we have is we have a win in this tournament. We just scored 62 points in a half. We just overcame a 17-point deficit, which is the biggest since 2007 in this tournament. We’ve got a lot of guys feeling pretty good about themselves.”
Xavier finished the regular season with a 21-13 record and a 9-9 mark in Big East. The Rebels and the Musketeers faced six common opponents this season in Alabama, Auburn, Cincinnati, Creighton, Missouri, and Northern Arizona. Ole Miss posted a perfect 6-0 against these foes, while Xavier was 5-2 with losses to Auburn and Creighton. Matt Stainbrook leads the team in scoring at 12.0 and rebounding at 6.8 boards a game. Three Musketeers including Stainbrook, Trevon Bluiett (11.7 ppg) and Myles Davis (10.7 ppg). Xavier is shooting 47 percent from the field this year, but allowing opponents to shoot 44 percent.
