Rebels fall to Georgia Tech 74-66 in NIT semi-finals

The Daily Mississippian Tuesday night’s quarterfinal matchup with Georgia Tech was microcosmic of the 2016-17 campaign for the Rebels. Coming into the game, Ole Miss had built considerable momentum with upset victories over Monmouth and Syracuse, beating both on their respective home courts. With an opportunity to capitalize on that momentum, in a nationally televised game, the Rebels faltered, once again.The atmosphere Tuesday night was electric; the Pavilion was filled to near capacity, rivaling only the arena’s inaugural night January 2016. Because the contest was part of postseason play, student ID tickets weren’t available. Perhaps understanding the disruptive impact an engaged crowd can have, head coach Andy Kennedy purchased tickets for the first 1,300 students that showed up for the game.
“What a great crowd, what great energy. Props to the fans for showing out,” Kennedy said. “People that say Ole Miss doesn’t care about basketball are crazy.”
Ole Miss came out of the gate sloppy, committing turnovers indicative of a team that wasn’t ready to play. Georgia Tech opened in a suffocating 1-3-1 three quarter court defense, stymieing the Rebels offense. The Yellow Jackets defense is among the stingiest in the nation, only giving up 66 points a night on average.
At the 11 minute media timeout, Georgia Tech led 26-13, largely because of an 11-0 advantage in fast break opportunity. The first half lead ballooned briefly to 15, but a quick 7-0 run narrowed the gap, as Georgia Tech took a 39-30 lead into intermission.
“I thought it was one of the worst execution games we’ve had all season,” Kennedy said. “We don’t have any ball getters—we just don’t get the ball.”
Kennedy cited the 13-6 deficit on lose balls as a potential reason for defeat.
Defensively, the Rebels hodgepodge of schemes manifested themselves on the court Tuesday night. Kennedy’s tendency to switch defenses ...


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