Five minutes into Missouri’s tilt at Ole Miss, Xavier Pinson angled around Jeremiah Tilmon’s screen, slinked by Luis Rodriguez, and accelerated past Romello White for a layup. It’s often an ominous sign, the first salvo from the combo guard about his intentions to assault the rim regularly.
On Wednesday, though, the junior’s first successful foray was also his last on a frustrating night as Ole Miss handed the No. 10 Tigers an 80-59 loss.
Afterward, there was plenty of evidence for coach Cuonzo Martin’s simmering critique. Yet he didn’t offer a forensic analysis of schematic breakdowns on defense or missed free throws that might have halted the Rebels’ second-half surge.