Even within the binary context of wins and losses, outcomes in sports are always relative. So even though a trigger-happy Ole Miss squad struggled to put away Northwestern State through the middle portion of Friday night's season opener, their 90-76 win was a hell of a lot more encouraging than the first game from a year ago, when the Rebs dropped an overtime game to Coastal Carolina.
The final 14-point deficit doesn't give adequate credit to the Demons, who climbed back from an early 12-point hole to keep it close for most of the game. Northwestern State pulled to within one possession three different times between the two minute mark of the first half and the 11 minute mark of the second half.