Three Keys and a Prediction: Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss – Sports Illustrated

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Mark Byington and Vanderbilt basketball have a chance to keep the good times rolling at Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday night as Ole Miss comes to town.
Vanderbilt is on a two-game winning streak after blowing out Mississippi State in Starkville a week ago and taking it to Kentucky at Memorial Gymnasium on Tuesday, here’s what it has to do in order to build on that momentum over the weekend. 
Force long twos
If Ole Miss’ body of work is any indication, this won’t be all that much of a struggle. 
The Rebels rank No. 360 in the country in average two-point distance and are No. 328 in the country in two-point efficiency. Chris Beard’s team is top 100 in the country in offensive efficiency, but has a clear deficiency on that end. 
Vanderbilt likely won’t have much trouble forcing it into bad shots from inside the arc and could trade twos for 3s at times on Saturday afternoon. 
Contain Malik Dia
The former Vanderbilt forward conveyed his love for the program on Instagram on Thursday night, but when he steps on the floor for his second game at Memorial Gymnasium for the second time since he left West End there won’t be much love. 
Dia and Vanderbilt’s student section traded words throughout most of last season’s game–which was one of his best of the season in 2024-25–and he was the best player on the floor for long stretches of that game. Vanderbilt’s new staff hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Dia over the years, but it knows that he’s got to be at the top of the scouting report. 
Vanderbilt does appear to have a better matchup for Dia this season with Cornell transfer AK Okereke, but Dia is also having his best season as a power-five player and is averaging 13.7 points per game on 43.5% shooting. 
Dia could change the dynamic of the game on Saturday if Vanderbilt lets him. 
Force some turnovers and make Ole Miss play left handed
Ole Miss’ general offensive numbers are solid, but its peripheral numbers aren’t impressive outside of its ability to avoid turning it over. 
The Rebels don’t shoot it particularly well from two or 3, are 186th in the country in offensive rebounding, don’t get to the free throw line all that much, get their shots blocked at an average rate and don’t play particularly up tempo.  The main reason they’re competitive is their ability to get it on the rim. 
If Vanderbilt can force it into some uncharacteristic errors, it’s got a chance to run the score up on Saturday. 
Prediction: Vanderbilt: 85, Ole Miss: 68
Vanderbilt is significantly better than Ole Miss by seemingly every metric and plays Saturday’s game at home. It will have to watch for a breakout showing from Dia, but it should pick up another SEC win if all goes to plan.
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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