Vanderbilt basketball will take on its second of three straight road opponents, going against Ole Miss in a March 3 matchup at The Pavilion.
The Commodores (22-7, 9-7 SEC) are coming off a loss to Kentucky.
Vanderbilt previously defeated Ole Miss, 71-68, in a matchup at Memorial Gymnasium on Jan. 31. The two teams were originally supposed to face off in a road matchup in January and at home this week, but the home games were switched due to an ice storm that heavily impacted Oxford.
Here is our score prediction for the matchup:
Vanderbilt finishes its regular season with three straight repeated opponents. The first rematch, Kentucky, didn’t go well. The Commodores were blown out, 91-77, after blowing out the Wildcats in the first matchup.
Next up is an Ole Miss team with whom Vanderbilt struggled in the first matchup, albeit when it was without Duke Miles.
The Commodores will need to do a better job preparing for the repeat matchup than against Kentucky.
Malik Dia started his career at Vanderbilt playing under Jerry Stackhouse, but he transferred after one season, first to Belmont, then to Ole Miss. Dia has had a solid season, averaging 14 points per game with 5.9 rebounds.
In the first matchup, Dia had 16 points and drew seven fouls. Dia will surely be a focal point of the Commodores’ defensive game plan.
Ole Miss had a 10-game losing streak during SEC play that included the Rebels’ first loss to Vanderbilt. That included a loss to rival Mississippi State as well as to LSU.
However, Ole Miss just snapped that streak with an 85-79 win at Auburn on Feb. 28.
Frankie Collins has remained out for Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt 79, Ole Miss 70
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
