Rebels, Cougars just happy to get into First Four field

By foxsports
Published

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) The Mississippi Rebels are delighted - and relieved - to be packing their bags for a surprising trip to Dayton.

After losing four of their last five games including a first-round loss in the SEC Tournament, the Rebels (20-12) survived three days sitting on the bubble to draw fellow-No. 11 seed BYU (25-9) in the First Four on Tuesday at the University of Dayton.

The winner takes on sixth-seeded Xavier (21-13) on Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida.

Andy Kennedy's Rebels hung around as several other bubble teams fell by the wayside.

The Cougars of coach Dave Rose, who have won eight of nine, are fittingly headed for the NCAAs for the eighth time in nine years. They beat Iona in Dayton in 2012 before falling to Marquette in the second round.