BYU vs. Ole Miss: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

In a battle of 11th seeds to help tip off opening day of the 2015 NCAA tournament, Ole Miss rallied from a 17-point halftime hole to stun BYU in a 94-90 victory on Tuesday.

Turner Sports' Matt Winer perfectly summarized how the flow of the game completely changed following the midway intermission:

As Ole Miss Basketball observed, junior guard Stefan Moody, who led the victors with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, fearlessly nailed a transition three-pointer that proved to be critical:

Hugh Kellenberger of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger noticed how Moody heated up at the perfect possible time, juxtaposing the development with several recent underwhelming outings:

Steve Smith of Turner Sports praised the knack both sides showed for clutch buckets in crunch time, though much of BYU's magic came earlier on:

The Cougars were executing at an astonishing rate while operating at a swift pace in the first 20 minutes, shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and filling it up from downtown.

ESPN Stats & Info broke down BYU's sensational shooting chart, focusing on its scorching success rate from deep:

BYU star guards Tyler Haws and Chase Fischer combined for 36 of the Cougars' 49 points en route to a huge lead at the break and finished with 33 and 23 points, respectively.

SportsNation and ESPN's Robert Flores had humorous takes on what was transpiring at University of Dayton Arena:

But a big run to start the final half allowed the Rebels to draw within single digits quite quickly despite the huge prior deficit.

Rebels senior forward M.J. Rhett dominated the paint for much of Tuesday against an outmatched BYU interior defense to the tune of 20 points. Rhett had a punctuating finish above the rim to give Ole Miss momentum amid its comeback charge, courtesy of NCAA March Madness:

Rece Davis of ESPN felt the scalding shooting masked the Cougars' shortcomings—which were ultimately exposed:

CBS analyst Clark Kellogg alluded to the double-edged sword that can come with the territory for an uptempo squad such as BYU, whom KenPom.com ranks sixth in the country in adjusted tempo:

Former Miami (Ohio) NCAA tournament star and CBS Sports Network personality Wally Szczerbiak felt the Cougars were getting anxious as their massive lead dwindled:

Living and dying by the jumper is indeed a chancy strategy.

When going well, BYU had shown the ability to hang with just about anyone, evident in its road win over Gonzaga at the end of the regular season. Otherwise, the game can get away from the team deploying such tactics, and Tuesday's contest was Exhibit A of both phenomena.

"

Stefan Moody had 26 points to lead 11-seed Ole Miss, who shot 60% in the 2nd half. Rebels trailed by 17 at half. pic.twitter.com/blLGbemluA

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 18, 2015"

Ole Miss actually gave the Cougars a taste of their own medicine—albeit closer to the basket with more frequency—heating up and prompting this appropriate response from CBS Sports:

Rivals.com's Neal McCready described the sequence that led to the Rebels taking a 72-68 lead with 7:11 remaining on the clock:

CBS Sports' Doug Gottlieb was a man of few words once the chaotic contest was over, while colleague Seth Davis shared his opinion:

"

Best.First.Four.Game.Ever. #FirstFour #BYUvsOleMiss

— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) March 18, 2015"

As winners of this high-octane offensive tilt, Ole Miss now gets a crack at playing spoiler to Xavier in the round of 64. As the No. 6 seed in the West Region, the Musketeers have a tough road just to get to the Sweet 16, taking on Ole Miss and then likely third-seeded Baylor thereafter.

It's worth bearing in mind that the Rebels rebounded well from a disappointing loss to South Carolina in the SEC tournament. They also could have been run out of the gym in Dayton if not for a stunning second-half surge.

Although Ole Miss lost four of its five prior games, the Rebels have truly punched their ticket to the Big Dance and have overcome tremendous obstacles Tuesday night in doing so. Those tests make them a viable threat to upend Xavier on Thursday.