Tennessee basketball vs. Ole Miss: Scouting report, score prediction in SEC opener

Rick Barnes has stressed that the season begins again for Tennessee basketball with SEC play − and it starts with a top-25 matchup.

The No. 5 Vols (10-3) hosts No. 19 Ole Miss (13-0) in their SEC opener on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Here is what to know about the matchup:

Tennessee's assist rate is among the best in the nation

Tennessee is playing excellent team basketball through 13 games, which is reflected in its assist rate. The Vols have assisted on 63.3% of their field goals this season, one of the highest assist rates in the nation.

That rate is higher during UT's six-game winning streak. Tennessee is assisting on 76% on its field goals in that stretch.

UT is averaging 16.8 assists and is led by Zakai Zeigler's 4.5 assists per game. It is averaging 20.8 assists in the past six games.

Chris Beard has Ole Miss basketball off to best start in program history

Ole Miss ran through its nonconference schedule to finish 13-0, its first unbeaten nonconference season since 2007-08. The Rebels already have won more games than they did last season when a 12-21 season saw coach Kermit Davis fired in late February.

Enter Chris Beard, who was hired in March after he was fired by Texas in January. The Rebels' most impressive win was an 80-77 victory against Memphis, while they beat N.C. State 72-52. UT beat N.C. State 79-70 in December.

"Chris Beard has done just an incredible job everywhere he has ever been," Barnes said. "You know what his teams are. They take on his personality. They are going to play really hard. They execute. They definitely aren’t going to beat themselves."

While Ole Miss is ranked in both polls, KenPom doesn't think as highly of Ole Miss. The Rebels are ranked No. 82 in KenPom, which didn't think highly of the schedule that led to the unbeaten record. KenPom considers Ole Miss' nonconference schedule as No. 273 in the nation.

What Ole Miss does well and does not do well

Ole Miss is hitting 40.3% of its 3-pointers this season, the second-best mark in the SEC. It is a large leap for the Rebels, who ranked second-to-last in the conference in 3-point shooting in the 2022-23 season at 30.3%.

Four Rebels are shooting 40% of better on 3-pointers, including St. Peter's transfer Jaylen Murray who is hitting 46%. Ole Miss leading scorer Matthew Murrell, who averages 17 points, is making 39.7% of his threes.

Ole Miss isn't rebounding well despite having two 7-footers, including 7-5 Jamarion Sharp. The Rebels rank No. 13 in the SEC with 35.5 rebounds per game. They allow opponents to get offensive rebounds on almost 30% of misses.

Score prediction

Tennessee 83, Ole Miss 68: The Vols roar into SEC play with big offensive numbers fueled by rebounding. UT matches up well with Ole Miss with its 3-point defense against the Rebels' good shooting start.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

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