The new normal: Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis prepares for matchup against Middle Tennessee

OXFORD — As time goes on, it starts to feel a little more normal.

That's the way Ole Miss basketball coach Kermit Davis feels about facing Middle Tennessee State on Saturday. The Rebels' coach spent 16 years as the man in charge of the MTSU basketball program from 2002-18, winning two conference championships and participating in three NCAA Tournaments.

Now in his second year in charge at Ole Miss and with another NCAA Tournament appearance on his resume, Davis will coach against his former school for the second time this Saturday. Last year, Davis' Rebels traveled to Nashville to face the Blue Raiders at Bridgestone Arena, a game Ole Miss won 74-56. 

This year, the Blue Raiders travel to Oxford, which Davis said he thinks makes the adjustment a little easier.

"It's a little different than it was last year," Davis said. "Last year really felt different, especially with us going to Bridgestone. We'd won some big games at Bridgestone and saw a lot of those people. It's a little different."

Ole Miss is 6-3 heading into this year's matchup and Middle Tennessee State is 4-6. But Davis said he doesn't think the Blue Raiders' record should be an indictment of the job MTSU coach Nick McDevitt is doing. 

Davis said he was impressed by how "dangerous" MTSU is offensively, particularly when watching the film of the game it played against Belmont. He also mentioned that he thinks injuries and eligibility matters have held the team back and that the Blue Raiders will start playing more competitively around the rim when they have a full roster.

After 16 years anywhere, it's hard to disconnect. Davis said he still follows Middle Tennessee State's athletics programs. Not just basketball, but football too. He checks scores. He watches when he can. And he doesn't hide his allegiances.

"It's just part of who we were for 16 years," Davis said. "Except for on Saturday, I want Middle Tennessee State to do great in basketball. And I think they will in time. I really, really do."

Where Ole Miss can improve
The Ole Miss basketball team will have had a week off from games when Saturday's game tips off at 2 p.m. 

With players caught up in final exams season, playing games wasn't on the schedule. But the Rebels have stayed on the court practicing, and Davis said he's used this time to focus on what he thinks his players need to do to improve.

"I know players want to play in games, but I think a lot of college teams need practice right now," Davis said. "We jam a lot of games in from November-whatever until after Thanksgiving. So I think it's good to try to not be preparing for a team and just be worrying about Ole Miss."

Davis brought up rebounding, staying out of foul trouble and the development of more bench players as some of his top priorities this week. Since sophomore Luis Rodriguez went down with a foot injury in late November, the Rebels have struggled to find consistent play from beyond the six or seven best players on the roster. Players like K.J. Buffen and Khadim Sy, who have remained in constant foul trouble, have only exacerbated the team's depth issue.

One player who may be a beneficiary of this attempt to get more players involved is redshirt freshman guard Franco Miller. Davis said Miller has gotten better in practice over the last two weeks and probably earned the right to have more opportunities in the Rebels' most recent game against Cal-Bakersfield. 

SOURCE: Suss, Nick. "The new normal: Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis prepares for matchup against Middle Tennessee." Mississippi Clarion Ledger, 13 December 2019, https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/ole-miss/2019/12/13/ole-miss-basketball-kermit-davis-prepares-familiar-matchup-mtsu/4400187002/

Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.