Bradley @ Mississippi preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 19, 2016 ) Bradley 49, Mississippi 66

Ole Miss puts its scoring strength to the test when the Rebels host Bradley on Friday in the final non-conference game for both teams. Ole Miss is looking to win consecutive games for the first time since starting the season with three in a row.

The Rebels will look to the play of their guards to help against one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Bradley entered Thursday allowing 59.2 points per game, which ranks fifth nationally, while the Braves limit opponents to 27.5 percent from behind the 3-point line - seventh best in the nation. Ole Miss relies on the strength of its guards, which account for 70.9 percent of the team's offense. The top four scorers on the team are all guards - Terence Davis (15.3 points per game), Deandre Burnett (14.8), Markel Crawford (10.0) and Devontae Shuler (9.4) while fellow backcourt mate Breein Tyree (8.9) is sixth.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus

ABOUT BRADLEY (10-2): The Braves are off to one of their best starts in the past decade with 10 non-conference victories, the most since the 2006-07 team. With three consecutive victories and wins in eight of the past nine, Bradley's 10-2 record is the best to start the season since 1987-88 when the Braves also started 10-2. Darrell Brown leads the Braves on offense with 12.9 points and 3.8 assists per game.

ABOUT OLE MISS (6-5): The Rebels have had their share of issues getting stops on defense, but they know how to take care of the ball. Ole Miss has turned the ball over 131 times - 47th fewest in Division I through Wednesday - while its 17.8 assists per game is 26th in the nation and a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio ranks 15th best in the country. The Rebels also average 6.7 steals per game with five different players registering at least eight.

TIP-INS

1. Ole Miss finished with 25 assists in their last game, the most in a game since Dec. 19, 2009.

2. Mississippi is 9-11 all-time against current teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, including 2-3 against Bradley.

3. Ole Miss hit 14 3-pointers in the win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday - one short of tying a school record.

PREDICTION: Bradley 68, Ole Miss 67