Scouting Report: Ole Miss Basketball vs. Michigan State Spartans in NCAA Tournament

Chris Beard and Co. enter Friday's showdown against the Spartans as underdogs, looking to pull off upset.

Mar 23, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) celebrates with forward Frankie Fidler (8) after the game against the New Mexico Lobos during the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels continue preparation for Friday night's Sweet 16 matchup in what will be the program's first appearance since 2001.

The No. 6 seeded Rebels will be taking on No. 2 Michigan State with the Spartans entering the clash in Atlanta as favorites.

What must the Rebels do right in order to come away with a victory to reach the Elite Eight?

The Scouting Report: Michigan State Spartans Edition

No. 1: Similar Play Between Both Programs

Both Ole Miss and Michigan State lack a true center, and rely heavily on their guards and the frontcourt to produce offense.

The Spartans one true big man is Szymon Zapala, a senior who averages just 14.2 minutes per game. If the Rebels want to win Friday's matchup, their guards, and more specifically the frontcourt, will need another big performance.

The Spartans leading scorer is guard Jaden Atkins, who averages 12.7 points per game, compared to the Rebels Sean Pedulla, who averages 15.2 points per game.

Michigan State also has just a pair of players who average double-digit scoring per game, while Ole Miss leads the nation with six players averaging double figures.

Ole Miss will need to at least maintain those numbers on Friday if they hope to come away with the win.

“It’s not gonna be me and Coach [Izzo] playing. If we played 1 on 1 at the top of the key, that’d be a different deal.”

Chris Beard tells @JonRothstein it’ll be the players that make the difference when Ole Miss faces off against Michigan State on Friday.

Tune in now to catch… pic.twitter.com/Flh5n1ARDx

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 26, 2025

No. 2: Michigan State's Rebounding Could Cause Issues

Michigan State comes into Friday's matchup the No. 14 rateed rebounding team in the country, averaging 40.06 boards per game, best for 2nd in the Big Ten, behind only Illinois, who is ranked No. 2 nationally.

Ole Miss is ranked 293rd by comparison, averaging just 33.14 boards per game, second-to-last in the SEC.

The Spartans lead rebounder is Jaxon Kohler, who is averaging 7.5 boards per game. By comparison, the Rebels lead rebounder is Malik Dia with 5.7 rebounds per game.

While the Rebels don't need to completley out-rebound the Spartans, they will need to pound the glass, and at least keep the margin close.

Ole Miss has improved in terms of rebounding this postseason, winning the rebound column in a win over UNC in the first round, the first column win since December for the Rebels.

It's safe to say Ole Miss will look for a similar performance on Friday night in order to pull off the upset.

No. 3: Michigan State's Offensive Efficiency Must Be Monitored

Michigan State shoots an impressive 46.1 percent from the floor, and 30.8 percent from three-point range. For comparison, the Rebels shot 44.2 percent from the floor and 34.1 percent from three-point range.

Both teams shoot the ball well, but the Spartans have the edge from the floor, a more important shot in the grand scheme of each game.

Michigan State boasts the top three-point defense in the country, and a large part of Ole Miss' offensive production comes from behind the arc. The Rebels hold the No. 110th-ranked three-point defense, for comparison.

The Rebels will need to be very intentional about the shots they take on Friday night, and be just as concientious on the defensive end of the floor.

While Ole Miss shot over 55 percent from both the floor and three-point range this past Sunday against Iowa State in the Round of 32, the Rebels can't expect a performance like that again.

Victory will be achieved by working the ball inside the arc and scoring from medium/close range, a feat Ole Miss is more than capable of acomplishing.

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