When I saw Ole Miss guard Markel Crawford’s head dip, I knew.
Kassius Robertson’s high-arcing flare of a jumper, launched over the top of Crawford and Breein Tyree, splashed down. Now, Mizzou still clung to a 3-point lead with a little under three minutes remaining — plenty of time for a game played in the SEC’s second-toughest gym to get sideways.
Yet in that moment, the guy who was playing in the MAAC last season sapped a little bit of the Rebels’ will during a 75-69 victory on Tuesday at The Pavilion.
On Tuesday, his 27 points — 18 after halftime — dragged a scuffling offense along as the rest of the Tigers’ eight-man skeleton crew mustered just 17 points on 4 of 15 shooting from the floor.