Vanderbilt @ Mississippi preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 5, 2019 ) Mississippi 81, Vanderbilt 71

Ole Miss won its first three contests in February but is mired in a four-game losing streak as it hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Rebels have lost at No. 9 Kentucky and at No. 15 Auburn by a combined 12 points, and dropped a 71-68 decision at Missouri during the slide as coach Kermit Davis focuses on the positive.

“Our team has played (well) except for that game against Alabama (103-78 on Feb. 22),'' Davis told the media after Tuesday's 67-58 loss to Auburn. "That was a game where you want to throw it out. We’ve had this kind of effort for the last five weeks. We’ve played our tail off.” Ole Miss is tied with Georgia for second-last in the SEC - ahead of only Vanderbilt - and must win its last three regular-season games to guarantee a .500 record and qualify for a postseason tournament. The Commodores have lost six straight games since upsetting then-No. 18 LSU 99-90 on Feb. 5 with a 61-52 setback to Missouri on Wednesday marking its 34th loss in its last 35 SEC games. "It sounds like a broken record, but it just wasn't our night," Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse, whose club led by nine in the first half, told reporters.

TIME: 1 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT VANDERBILT (9-19, 1-14 SEC): Freshman guard Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 19 points against Missouri after going for 20 in an 80-78 loss to Georgia on Feb. 22, raising his season average to 11.5. Among active players, Saben Lee scores a team-high 17.8 per game after averaging 23.1 over his last seven contests. Ejike Obinna, a 6-10 sophomore forward, scored nine Wednesday for his third-highest total of the season in a career-high 35 minutes.

ABOUT OLE MISS (13-15, 4-11): Breein Tyree, the conference's second-leading scorer at 20.4 points, had 16 while shooting 3-for-19 from the field versus Auburn. Sophomore forward KJ Buffen had 16 points and eight rebounds Tuesday, raising his season averages to 9.9 and 5.9. Junior guard Devontae Shuler (11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, team-high 3.4 assists) has scored a combined eight points in the two games sandwiched around a 21-point effort versus Alabama.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Tyree has 1,738 points and will climb to No. 4 in school history with a slight increase in his scoring pace.

2. The Commodores will match last season's record should they lose their final three regular-season games and in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

3. Rebels starters are responsible for 89.7 percent of the club's points in SEC contests.

PREDICTION: Ole Miss 69, Vanderbilt 62