Baylor @ Ole Miss 5P CST ESPN2

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AntonioCMorales/status/825098499754688512

OXFORD - Now, particularly, isn't a time Ole Miss can afford to feel sorry for itself.

Sure, the home conference loss to A&M stung for the Rebels (12-8), but a more daunting challenge in No. 5 Baylor (19-1) awaits them in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge

A&M dominated the paint against Ole Miss thanks to its superior size. Baylor will have athleticism up front as well.

Bears start Jo Acuil, who is 7-foot and 210 pounds, and 6-9 forward Johnathan Motley, who leads the team in scoring (16.9) and rebounding (9.2).

Odds aren't great for Ole Miss Saturday. Kenpom.com is projecting a 75-64 Baylor win and only gives the Rebels a 16 percent chance of winning.

But this game does stand as another opportunity for a signature victory for Ole Miss, which is lacking a big-time win. It played No. 16 Creighton tough but lost and didn't stand much of a chance against No. 4 Kentucky.

Rebels currently stand at No. 63 in the RPI rankings and are 1-2 against teams ranked from 26-50 and 0-4 against the top 25 teams. Baylor stands atop the rankings.

[jbcarol]

Andy Kennedy confirmed Friday morning that Rasheed Brooks has been cleared to resume physical activities and is back working out with the team

Brooks suffered a seizure against Tennessee on Jan. 17 and was released from the hospital two days later. He's still had to undergo tests as recently as Wednesday. Kennedy said they'll monitor Brooks' progress in terms of when he can play again.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AntonioCMorales/status/825535994002804741

OXFORD - It was all good with 2:16 to go.

The Pavilion burst into a frenzy after freshman guard Breein Tyree drilled a 3 to give Ole Miss a two-point lead, which made it look like an upset of No. 5 Baylor was in the cards Saturday night.

But the Bears responded like a top-five team should on the road, and the Rebels were plagued by the same errors they've made all season. That cocktail turned out to be fatal for Ole Miss' upset chances as Baylor earned a 78-75 victory in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

The Bears (20-1) went on a quick 8-0 spurt, and the Rebels (12-9) committed three critical turnovers down the stretch, including two by guard Cullen Neal.

"What's so crazy is we had one turnover at the half," Andy Kennedy said. "(Turnovers) have been problematic for us. We had four big ones down the stretch. ... We caught a ball out of bounds, some awareness stuff. We're late on a couple of 3-point shooters. Give Baylor credit."