Tight finish

Ole Miss has won six of its past eight games, including back-to-back nail-biters, coinciding with guard Deandre Burnett’s improvement from a high ankle sprain.

The Rebels followed an 87-82 overtime road victory at Mississippi State on Tuesday with an 80-77 victory over Missouri on Saturday.

“I’m used to them,” Rebels Coach Andy Kennedy said of the tight outcomes. “Our margin for error is just too small. Typically, if it’s a blowout it’s not going to be good for us. So I want them close.”

Burnett scored 28 points, hitting 13 of 14 free throws and 5 of 8 three-pointer, in the victory against the Tigers.

Burnett suffered a high ankle sprain in January and the Rebels lost four of six games during his recovery. Burnett led the team in scoring in eight of its first 15 games, but did it once in an 11-game span after the injury before he scored 27 points in Ole Miss’ 98-80 loss at Arkansas on Feb. 18.

The Rebels (18-11, 9-7 SEC), likely a fringe NCAA Tournament team at best, finish with a harder slate than they’ve been playing, with a road date at Alabama on Wednesday and a home game against South Carolina on Saturday.