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Here’s my quick scout on Ole Miss:
Strengths: — Athleticism. Teams like this generally give Iowa State’s offense problems and I don’t anticipate this to be any different. The Chris Beard switch defense is a concern, but Iowa State’s coaching staff has seen his teams a ton and should be prepared for it.
— Ole Miss is one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the basketball, ranked 2nd nationally in turnover percentage. A real strength on strength battle coming in terms of Iowa State’s pressure D vs. Ole Miss’ ball security.
— Top 35 in offense and defense. Very well balanced.
— G Sean Pedulla is a junkyard dog. 39 percent from 3. Leads the team in scoring and assists. I’d guess Lipsey starts on him but could move that to Heise if Tamin isn’t moving well.
Weaknesses: — Not a great shooting team. The Rebels were 5-7 from 3 in the first half against North Carolina, built up a lead but that quickly deteriorated when their form came back to life.
— Struggled down the stretch, losing five of its last seven games entering the NCAA Tournament.
Keys for the Cyclones:
REBOUNDING: Ole Miss struggles on the offensive glass. Not giving this team second chance opportunities will go a long way. As always, Iowa State will also want to get into transition as fast as possible after misses. I suspect that the Cyclones will struggle in the half court against Ole Miss so this will prove to be especially key.
FREE THROWS: This is going to be a highly physical game. Depending on how it is called, I project that we’ll see a lot of free throw attempts on both sides. Who can take advantage of that?
BATTLE IN THE PAINT: Minus Keshon Gilbert, while this is still a guard’s game, Iowa State’s post play will likely dictate how far the Cyclones go. We’ve seen a lot of consistency from Jackson, Jefferson and Chatfield over the last few weeks. I suspect this will be a big key on Sunday as well.
