Ole Miss Drops Embarrassing Home Game vs. North Alabama

The Rebels dropped what should have been a tune up game on Tuesday afternoon.

OXFORD, Miss. -- Tuesday afternoon was not ideal for the Ole Miss Rebels basketball team.

Ole Miss dropped a 66-65 final score to the North Alabama Lions on Tuesday, a team that entered the contest ranked 276 in the NET. If the Rebels hope to reach the NCAA Tournament this season, losses like Tuesday's greatly hinder those aspirations.

The Rebels led 36-34 at halftime and were led in scoring by Matthew Murrell (16), Daeshun Ruffin (12) and Myles Burns (11). Ole Miss shot 39 percent from the field and 29 percent from three in the loss, and both teams turned the ball over 15 times.

The Rebels are now off until after Christmas, and they will open SEC play against the Tennessee Volunteers on Dec. 28 at the SJB Pavilion. After starting the season 8-4 in non-conference play, Ole Miss will need to have an impressive conference record in order to reach the big dance at the end of this season. 

Tip-off between the Rebels and Volunteers is set for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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