South Dakota State @ Mississippi preview

Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy was happy with how his team responded from its first loss of the season at the MGM Grand Main Event in Las Vegas. He'll be even happier to see his Rebels build on their 17-point win over Rice as they return home to face South Dakota State on Tuesday.

Kennedy suggested that the distractions of Sin City might have contributed to his team's 83-74 setback against Utah, but was pleased with how his players refocused to prevail 79-62 in the consolation game of the Heavyweight bracket. "We were disappointed in our performance (Tuesday)," Kennedy told reporters after the game. "We had a couple of days to sit around, stew on it ... for two days (we talked) about playing at an SEC pace. I thought we picked it up and took control." Deandre Burnett put his stamp on Ole Miss' trip to Vegas, scoring 18 points and tying his career high with eight assists in the victory over Rice. South Dakota State has won three consecutive games, averaging almost 89 points over that span.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (6-2): Jackrabbits forward Mike Daum, who finished tied for second in Division I in scoring last season at 25.1 points per game, is at 19.4 through eight games this season and has surpassed 16 points just once in his last four games. David Jenkins Jr. contributes 14.5 points per contest and has been sensational from beyond the arc of late, making 9-of-19 attempts over his past three games. South Dakota State averages 10.4 made 3-pointers per game, among the top 35 in the nation.

ABOUT OLE MISS (4-1): Burnett is at 16 points per game - down a half-point from his 2016-17 average - but has improved tremendously from the field, shooting 50 percent overall (up from 35.5 percent) and 46.2 percent from 3-point range (up from 37.6 percent). Junior guard Terence Davis paces the Rebels in scoring at 17.2 and rebounded from a 10-point clunker against Utah with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting versus Rice. Defensive rebounding has been a problem area for Ole Miss, which ranks 227th in the nation at 24.6 defensive boards per game.

TIP-INS

1. The Rebels rank inside the top 50 in the country in steals per game (8.4).

2. Davis has committed four or more turnovers in three of his first five games.

3. Daum ranks third in the Summit League in scoring and is second in rebounds (8.4).

PREDICTION: Ole Miss 88, South Dakota State 74