Mississippi @ Georgia preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 11, 2017 ) Georgia 69, Mississippi 47

Ole Miss found a way to win its SEC opener against South Carolina, and next head to Georgia for Wednesday’s matchup with evidence that effort and execution can pay off – even if it does not look pretty. The Rebels grinded out a 74-69 victory over the Gamecocks at home in their SEC opener, shooting 87 percent from the free-throw line in the second half and closing the contest with eight consecutive makes in the final 90 seconds.

“We’re a blue collar team and I think our players are figuring that out,” Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy told reporters after the Rebels won for the fourth time in five games after a three-game losing streak. “Our effort has been tremendous and (Saturday), we made SEC plays.” The Bulldogs played well most of the way Sunday in their conference opener at No. 14 Kentucky, but the inability to get key stops down the stretch spoiled Georgia's upset chances in a 66-61 defeat. “We just made a few mistakes defensively in the last few minutes,” Georgia coach Mark Fox told the media afterward. “It was costly and it cost us the win.”

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT OLE MISS (8-5, 1-0 SEC): Senior Deandre Burnett scored 18 points in the victory over South Carolina and ranks second in the SEC and 25th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0). Junior Terence Davis leads the Rebels in scoring at 15.2 points per game, reaching double figures scoring in 25 of his 28 games dating to last season. Ole Miss is third in the SEC in turnovers per game (12), ranking 60th in the nation.

ABOUT GEORGIA (9-3, 0-1): Senior Yante Maten led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Kentucky, and is first in the SEC in rebounding (9.5 per game) and second in scoring (19.9 points per contest). The Bulldogs held Kentucky to 31.5 percent shooting from the field and have limited opponents to 39.1 percent on the season (third in the SEC; 39th nationally). Junior Derek Ogbeide scored 13 points against Kentucky and is 14-of-21 from the field in his past three games.

TIP-INS

1. Ten Georgia players are averaging double-digit minutes per game, while nine Rebels are averaging 10-plus minutes per contest.

2. Burnett ranks fourth in the SEC in assists per game (4.9) and is shooting 82.5 percent from the free-throw line.

3. Georgia has won six of the past seven meetings with Ole Miss since February 2014, including a 69-47 victory last January in Oxford.

PREDICTION: Georgia 74, Ole Miss 70