Alcorn State at Mississippi

Ole Miss went 15-20 last season and 4-14 in SEC play. The Rebels still closed the year by winning three games at the SEC Tournament before losing 93-90 in overtime to Arkansas. Alcorn State went 9-23 and 7-11 in the SWAC. Its road trips to bigger programs last November included a 108-76 loss at Florida State, a 95-50 loss at Minnesota and a 132-68 loss at Iowa State. When the Braves met these same Rebels on December 29, Ole Miss won 79-43. Chris Beard has since rebuilt through the portal. He added guard Budd Clark from Seton Hall, center Micah Handlogten from Florida, who is listed at seven-foot-one, and guard Corey Stephenson from Florida International. Senior guard Ilias Kamardine is back on the roster. Alcorn State is now in the second season under head coach Jake Morton. I can't read the Braves' roster as clearly as Ole Miss's, and I find little recent evidence of them holding up against a high-major opponent. I'll side with Ole Miss on the spread tonight.