Kermit Davis talks about Ole Miss struggles: We want better for Ole Miss

Ole Miss lost its ninth game in 10 tries at home against Kentucky Tuesday night. The Rebels are tied for last place in the SEC, and things don’t seem to be trending upward anytime soon.

After the game, head coach Kermit Davis expressed his daily message toward his team in the face of adersity. Things might seem bleak for the Rebels right now, but Davis believes hard work will eventually pay off.

“It’s just about getting through difficult things. It has been for two years. We haven’t had a lot of great luck happen with Ole Miss basketball, but the league is unforgiving and has great coaches just like [John Calipari] and Jerry Stackhouse, they just keep coming,” Davis said postgame. “There are some really good teams.

“I’m just so proud of our players, proud of our staff. We’re working at it day and night. As I said, we’re fighting for two people — I feel for our players and I feel for our fans. Those are the two people I feel for and we want better than what’s going on at Ole Miss.”

The Rebels have one win to their credit since the New Year, a 70-58 win over South Carolina midway through January. They’ve dropped their last four games, but will see their strength of schedule dip in the coming weeks. Ole Miss plays one ranked team — No. 25 Auburn on Feb. 22 — during the final four weeks of the regular season.

With nine games still on the docket, a string of wins could mean the difference between playing on day one of the SEC Tournament vs. playing on day two.

Ole Miss will turn its attention to Vanderbilt on the road Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network as the Rebels look to inch out of a three-way tie for last place in the conference standings.