Ole Miss is off to a solid start with a roster featuring just four players, including one starter, from last year’s squad.
The Rebels (3-0) will try to keep jelling when they meet Cal State Bakersfield (2-1) on Friday night in Oxford, Miss.
“I think we got better between Game 2 and Game 3,” head coach Chris Beard said after an 83-77 victory against Memphis on Tuesday, which came four days after an 86-65 victory against UL Monroe.
However, Beard sees areas in which Ole Miss needs to improve as the collection of mostly newcomers continues to grow.
“I think rebounding is an emphasis around here,” Beard said. “We have a long ways to go, but we have seen improvement.”
The Rebels are averaging 39.7 rebounds compared to their opponents’ 31.3, but they got outrebounded by Memphis 33-32.
Beard added that he’s “a little concerned that we’re not forcing more turnovers.”
Ole Miss forced just seven turnovers against Memphis, though it did force a total of 28 in its first two games.
Ilias Kamardine leads the Rebels in scoring (18.0), assists (5.0) and steals (2.0).
The game against Cal State Bakersfield is the Rebels’ annual “Throwback Game,” in which Ole Miss recognizes the history of the program. This season the Rebels are honoring Rod Barnes, a former Ole Miss player, assistant coach and head coach.
Barnes resigned as head coach of Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 24 after 14 seasons, and Mike Scott, a Barnes assistant for the last eight seasons, was named interim head coach.
Scott has tried to implement a faster-paced offense than Barnes employed in hopes of having a more complete team.
“Traditionally we’ve been a stifling defensive team, a stingy defensive team that struggled to score at times,” Scott said. “We’re hoping to find some balance between the two — be a team that can get up and down the floor and still be stingy on the defensive end. Let’s play free, let’s play fast, let’s use our athleticism and get out and run, and defensively let’s make it hard for people to get buckets.”
The Roadrunners won their second consecutive game when they defeated visiting Western Illinois 74-58 on Tuesday night. CJ Hardy, who tops Cal State Bakersfield in scoring (14.3 ppg), led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds.
