There was a point in time this season when the Ole Miss Rebels were flying high in the Southeastern Conference and eyeing an NCAA Tournament bid.

That day is long gone.

Nowadays, even the NIT seems like a longshot. The Rebels are just trying to pull out of a death spiral and avoid their first losing record since 2005-06.

Ole Miss (11-13, 4-7 SEC) has lost four consecutive games and six of its last seven heading into Saturday’s matchup with LSU (13-10, 4-7) in Baton Rouge.

“All we talked about was how special this group was going to be,” Ole Miss junior guard Terence Davis told the Oxford Eagle. “We had so many weapons and we still have weapons. We’re just not putting it to use.”

Three of Ole Miss’ losses during its current skid have been by six points or less, but there have also been blowouts against Texas (by 13 points) and Tennessee (33 points) mixed in.

The Rebels have also lost two in a row at home after winning their first four conerence games at The Pavilion. They are 0-7 on the road overall this season, with five of those coming against SEC opponents.

“We’re going on the road and haven’t had an SEC road win this year,” Davis told The Oxford Eagle. “We’ve got to come together and find a way.”

Kennedy, who has not had a losing season since he became head coach in 2006, said a lack of execution and awareness have been driving factors behind the slump.

“Our awareness needs to get better. How many times does the ball just seem to be (loose) … and if you’re pulling for Ole Miss, you’re saying ‘Get the ball, get the ball, get ball,’ and we just never get it,” Kennedy told The Oxford Eagle. “We’re not playing on that edge. We’re not playing with some of that desperation that I want us to play with.”

It is, however, becoming desperation time for the Rebels. Four of their last seven regular-season games are against teams with winning records in the SEC.

“I feel like we can beat anybody (in the SEC),” Davis said. “It’s just that we’ve got to go actually do it. It’s another thing to talk about it. You’ve got to be about it.”

On the other side of Saturday’s matchup, LSU is also trying to pull out of a recent tailspin. The Tigers have lost six of their last eight games, including a 73-64 setback at Florida on Wednesday.
LSU has won its last two home games, however.

That makes this a key matchup for the Tigers and, coach Will Wade said, a tough one no matter how much the Rebels have struggled in recent weeks.

“Ole Miss, we are going to have to rebound the ball, guard them without fouling. I’m worried about that,” Wade said in a press conference this week. “They are just so big and physical at the guard spot. They are bigger than us and stronger than us. We’ve got to sit down and guard and hopefully use our quickness the best we can. Keep their big guys off the backboards.”

OLE MISS AT LSU
• Saturday, 3 p.m.
• TV: ESPNU
• Radio: 107.7 FM