SB Nation - Chris Warren

Ole Miss-West Virginia Basketball Preview

One Man To Beat — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:14:10 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

4 days ago: Mississippi guard Terrico White (24) begins a layup past a Centenary defender in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. No. 20 Mississippi won, 108-64. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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A top 15 squad, 10-1 record and heading into Morgantown, West Virginia to face the #6 Mountaineers...whew, Juco dipped into the well a little bit talking about the ramifications of a win Wednesday night.

Now, we'll see the possibility of that occurring for a nationally televised audience and 14,000 screaming extras from Deliverance at WVU Coliseum.

THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M. THE GAME IS ON ESPN 2 AT 6:30 P.M.

Okay, got that casual fans? I know there's a Cotton Bowl looming and football is not officially over yet, but seriously, WTF else are you going to be doing on a Wednesday before Christmas?

Chris Warren and Terrico White will have to win this game for Ole Miss. They're the best two offensive weapons on our team and are averaging over 30 points per game combined. Warren plays up in big games, and White is looking to solidify his NBA draft stock for a big audience.

Defensively, Ole Miss has to live up to the moniker Andy Kennedy promised when he first came to our beloved university: up-tempo, pressing basketball. Cleveland State nearly beat the #6 Mountaineers with a good full court press and a 2-3 zone that caused issues in the front court. The Rebels have the athleticism to play full court press defense on West Virginia all night. It'll create turnovers and easy points, and in this game, not many things will come easy considering the caustic atmosphere around the court.

Bob Huggins probably knows just about everything about Kennedy. He squeezed out a win against Ole Miss in Oxford last year when the Rebels had the game all but seamed up. Huggins said after the game that Kennedy is nearly unpredictable however, but I just take that for coachspeak.

Last season, Alex Ruoff led West Virginia to a 80-78 win as the Mountaineers made clutch free throws and caused timely turnovers. Da'Sean Butler banged out a 22 point performance and seems to be the leader of this year's team. He'll be a lot for a young front court to handle even though Reginald Buckner leads the team with 27 blocks. I could see a half-court offense for West Virginia being able to grind out paint points against the Rebels.

The Mountaineers hold opponents to less than 60 points on average and play in a very competitive Big East conference. Just from looking at statistics, it looks like West Virginia does not defend beyond the arc very well, allowing opponents to shoot around 32 percent.

This game will be frustrating for Rebel fans, I'm afraid. It's most likely that WVU will get most of the 50-50 balls, rebounds and have an advantage for points in the paint. The Rebels have to win by forcing the Mountaineers to make outside shots, cause turnovers and get into a transition offense. If the game turns into a 1956 Indiana high school basketball game full of half-court offenses, Ole Miss will get outclassed in the game. Wednesday needs to be a loose, high-flying affair for the Rebels to win.

Prediction

West Virginia 79

Ole Miss 74

Rebel Roundup - 12/22/09

The Ghost of Jay Cutler — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:34:39 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

SEC Freshman of the Week, Reginald Buckner.

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Weekly Watch: Week 5 | ESPN
In ESPN's Weekly Watch, Rebel guard Chris Warren was named a part of the players of the week rotation for his career day against the miners of UTEP.

Ole Miss' Buckner Earns SEC Freshman of the Week | Brandt
Here's why:

Buckner, who stands 6 feet 9, averaged 9.5 points, five rebounds and three blocks in the two victories, scoring a season-high 11 points against UTEP in a 91-81 overtime victory.

Congrats, Reginald. You'll have a real test on your hands tomorrow night against West Virginia's solid frontcourt. Let's hope you're up to the test.

Ole Miss climbs, Tennessee Tumbles | AL dot com
Tennessee's 20-point loss to Southern Cal and Florida's loss to Richmond have propelled the Rebels to a somewhat scary position: the 2nd highest ranked Southeastern Conference basketball team in the AP poll. Everybody knows our thoughts on Ole Miss sports programs when ranked, so we'll keep the naysaying to a minimum this morning.

2010 NFL Mock Draft: First Round Continued | Walter Football dot com
Walter Football has Greg Hardy going in the first round to the Colts with the 31st overall pick. Their reasoning?

Defensive end is not a big need for the Colts right now. It will be a year from now when Raheem Brock and Robert Mathis are both free agents. With that in mind, Bill Polian is one of the smartest general managers in the NFL. Getting Greg Hardy this late in the first round provides incredible value. And there's definitely nothing wrong with having tons of depth on the defensive line.

Hardy falls a bit because of his injuries, but he should check out. He's still a borderline first-round prospect.

Okay, I can see that I guess. As an aside, what in the hell is the deal with the Ole Miss logo they use and where in the hell did Walter Football stumble upon it? An upside-down triangle affixed behind a Colonel Reb icon staning atop the words "Ole Miss" which are written, not in script, but italics? Seriously, where did they get this?

UK Basketball: A Statistical Look at the SEC

Ken Howlett — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:41:16 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

Kentucky coach John Calipari asks, where do my 'Cats stand statistically within the SEC?

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Ten games into the season, and the Kentucky Wildcats are sporting a pristine 10-0 record, with two wins against top-15 competition. OK, so you already knew that, but do you know how UK stands within the conference in the many statistical categories? If not, prepare yourself for an onslaught of SEC stats, standings, as well as enough conference information to make one forget about Bob Knight and his "unamusing" musings.

After the jump comes ... the rest of the story.

Conference Standings

East West

1. Kentucky - 10-0 1. Mississippi - 9-1

t2. Tennessee - 8-1 2. Mississippi State - 8-2

t2. Florida - 8-1 3. LSU - 7-2

4. South Carolina - 7-2 4. Alabama - 7-3

5. Vanderbilt - 6-3 t5. Arkansas - 5-5

6. Georgia - 4-4 t5. Auburn - 5-5

Scoring Offense -- 1. Tennessee (84.1) 2. Mississippi (83.1) 3. Kentucky (80.3) 4. Arkansas (80.2) 5. South Carolina (78.1) 6. Mississippi State (76.2) 7. Florida (75.4) 8. Vanderbilt (74.4) 9. Auburn (72.2) 10. Alabama (70.7) 11. LSU (66.1) 12. Georgia (63.5).

Arkansas is averaging over 80 points per game, but is still only 5-5?

Scoring Defense -- 1. Mississippi State (59.5) 2. Tennessee (60.2) 3. Florida (60.9) 4. LSU (62.1) 5. Alabama (63.2) 6. Georgia (63.6) 7. Kentucky (65.5) 8. Auburn (67.7) 9. South Carolina (68.2) t10. Mississippi (68.3) t10. Vanderbilt (68.3) 12. Arkansas (72.6).

Tennessee and Florida, both weak defensively last season, have so far shown a tremendous defensive turnaround. John Pelphrey, on the other hand, needs to instill some of the defensive tenacity at Arkansas he employed while playing for the 'Cats.

Scoring Margin -- 1. Tennessee (+23.9) 2. Mississippi State (+16.7) t3. Mississippi (+14.8) t3. Kentucky (+14.8) 5. Florida (+14.6) 6. South Carolina (+9.9) 7. Arkansas (+7.6) 8. Alabama (+7.5) 9. Vanderbilt (+6.1) 10. Auburn (+4.5) 11. LSU (+4.0) 12. Georgia (-.1).

It looks as if Bruce Pearl has finally reigned in his talented UT squad ... as of now, that is.

Field Goal % -- 1. Tennessee (50.4) 2. Kentucky (49.7) 3. Arkansas (49.0) 4. Mississippi State (47.5) t5. Florida (46.3) t5. Mississippi (46.3) 7. Vanderbilt (46.1) 8. Alabama (45.4) 9. South Carolina (43.9) 10. LSU (43.4) 11. Georgia (42.9) 12. Auburn (42.7).

South Carolina must shoot the ball better if they wish to atone for last year's NCAA Tournament slight. Arkansas, shooting 49% and standing at 5-5? I sense a trend developing.

Field Goal % Defense -- 1. Mississippi State (36.8) 2. Tennessee (37.8) 3. Kentucky (38.6) 4. Arkansas (40.1) 5. Florida (40.3) 6. LSU (41.5) 7. Mississippi (41.6) 8. Auburn (41.8) 9. Georgia (42.0) 10. Vanderbilt (42.1) 11. Alabama (42.2) 12. South Carolina (42.3).

Tennessee once again surprises. What once was holding UT back from fulfilling their promise, may now become the strength of their team ... if they can keep up D-heat.

Three-Point % -- 1. Mississippi State (41.9) 2. Tennessee (40.6) 3. Arkansas (39.3) 4. Kentucky (38.0) 5. Mississippi (36.2) 6. Alabama (34.8) 7. Florida (33.0) 8. Georgia (32.3) 9. South Carolina (32.1) 10. Vanderbilt (31.9) 11. LSU (30.5) 12. Auburn (30.4).

Shooters, shooters, needed in middle Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama.

Three-Point % Defense -- 1. Florida (21.5) 2. Tennessee (27.5) 3. Mississippi (31.3) 4. Auburn (34.0) 5. Alabama (34.1) 6. South Carolina (34.8) 7. Mississippi State (35.1) 8. Vanderbilt (35.2) 9. LSU (35.4) 10. Kentucky (36.1) 11. Georgia (36.4) 12. Arkansas (38.4).

Allowing 38.4% shooting from beyond the three-point line isn't defense, it's indifferent defense, and also the reason Arkansas may have a new head coach next year. UT and Florida continue to impress.

Free Throw % -- 1. Mississippi State (70.7) 2. Georgia (70.6) 3. Florida (70.1) 4. Tennessee (69.6) 5. Alabama (69.2) 6. Vanderbilt (67.4) 7. LSU (67.4) 8. South Carolina (67.0) 9. Mississippi (66.9) 10. Kentucky (66.0) 11. Arkansas (64.6) 12. Auburn (62.1).

The relative weak conference free throw shooting may render UK's poor average inconsequential.

Rebound Average -- 1. Kentucky (42.1) 2. Mississippi State (40.6) 3. Mississippi (39.6) 4. LSU (39.4) 5. South Carolina (38.0) 6. Florida (37.8) 7. Tennessee (37.1) 8. Vanderbilt (36.7) 9. Auburn (36.6) 10. Georgia (34.5) 11. Alabama (34.3) 12. Arkansas (34.1).

Kentucky should win a number of SEC games based strictly on their ability to hit the boards with a vengeance.

Rebounding Defense -- 1. LSU (30.9) 2. Kentucky (31.5) 3. Georgia (32.2) t4. Tennessee (32.6) t4. Mississippi State (32.6) 6. Alabama (34.1) t7. Florida (36.0) t7. Arkansas (36.0) 9. Auburn (36.2) 10. Vanderbilt (37.8) 11. Mississippi (39.1) South Carolina (39.6).

Rebounding Margin -- 1. Kentucky (+10.6) 2. LSU (+8.6) 3. Mississippi State (+8.0) 4. Tennessee (+4.6) 5. Georgia (+2.2) 6. Florida (+1.8) 7. Mississippi (+.5) 8. Auburn (+.4) 9. Alabama (+.2) 10. Vanderbilt (-1.1) 11. South Carolina (-1.6) 12. Arkansas (-1.9).

Offensive Rebounds -- 1. Kentucky (15.4) 2. South Carolina (14.7) 3. LSU (14.6) 4. Mississippi (13.8) 5. Auburn (13.6) 6. Florida (13.3) 7. Alabama (12.6) 8. Vanderbilt (11.8) 9. Tennessee (11.7) 10. Georgia (11.6) 11. Mississippi State (10.4) 12. Arkansas (10.0).

Offensive rebounds equals a gained possession, something UK has been lacking in to a great degree the last four years.

Offensive Rebound % -- 1. Kentucky (44.8) 2. LSU (40.8) 3. Florida (37.5) 4. Alabama (37.0) 5. South Carolina (36.6) 6. Mississippi (35.8) 7. Auburn (35.4) 8. Georgia (34.7) 9. Tennessee (34.5) 10. Vanderbilt (33.2) 11. Mississippi State (32.2) 12. Arkansas (29.9).

Surprisingly low number for Mississippi State. UK at nearly 45.0% is remarkable.

Defensive Rebounds -- 1. Mississippi State (30.2) 2. Kentucky (26.7) 3. Mississippi (25.8) 4. Tennessee (25.4) t5. Vanderbilt (24.9) t5. LSU (24.9) 7. Florida (24.4) 8. Arkansas (24.1) 9. South Carolina (23.3) 10. Auburn (23.0) 11. Georgia (22.9) 12. Alabama (21.7)

Defensive Rebound % -- 1. Mississippi State (73.8) 2. LSU (71.8) 3. Tennessee (70.9) 4. Georgia (68.8) 5. Kentucky (68.1) 6. Auburn (66.9) 7. Arkansas (65.8) 8. Mississippi (64.2) 9. Florida (64.0) 10. Vanderbilt (63.8) 11. Alabama (63.3) 12. South Carolina (62.3).

How can MSU be so strong on the defensive boards, and so bad on the offensive glass?

Blocked Shots -- 1. Mississippi State (8.6) 2. Kentucky (8.1) 3. South Carolina (7.8) 4. Mississippi (6.0) 5. Georgia (5.6) 6. Vanderbilt (5.0) 7. Alabama (4.6) 8. Arkansas (4.1) t9. Tennessee (3.2) t9. LSU (3.2) t11. Florida (3.0) t11. Auburn (3.0).

Raise your hand if you think John Calipari will have his players drive directly into the path of MSU's Jarvis Varnado, continuing an unpleasant Billy Gillespie tradition, which resulted in nearly 30 blocked shots in two games.

Assists -- 1. Tennessee (18.2) 2. Arkansas (16.3) 3. Kentucky (15.6) 4. Florida (15.4) 5. Mississippi (14.3) 6. Alabama (14.1) 7. Mississippi State (13.6) 8. Auburn (13.1) 9. LSU (12.4) 10. Georgia (12.3) 11. Vanderbilt (11.2) 12. South Carolina (10.7).

I expect UK's assist numbers to rise, as the team continues to gel. Does UT's 18 dimes per game signal an end to the alleged chemistry issues which plagued the team last season?

Steals -- 1. Auburn (9.5) 2. South Carolina (9.1) 3. Tennessee (8.9) 4. Alabama (8.4) 5. Mississippi (8.3) 6. Florida (7.8) 7. Georgia (7.7) 8. Kentucky (7.6) 9. Vanderbilt (6.7) 10. Arkansas (6.5) 11. LSU (5.8) 12. Mississippi State (5.3).

Strong numbers at the top the conference.

Turnover Margin -- 1. Tennessee (+6.9) 2. South Carolina (+5.1) 3. Mississippi (+4.7) 4. Alabama (+3.6) 5. Florida (+2.3) 6. Auburn (+2.0) 7. Arkansas (+1.6) 8. Vanderbilt (-.33) 9. LSU (-.56) 10. Georgia (-1.4) 11. Kentucky (-1.9) 12. Mississippi State (-2.6).

If UK hopes to race to Indianapolis as a Final Four participant, this number has to improve.

Assist/Turnover Ratio -- 1. Tennessee (1.4) 2. Arkansas (1.2) 3. Alabama (1.2) 4. Mississippi (1.1) t5. Florida (1.0) t5. Mississippi State (1.0) 7. LSU (.96) 8. Kentucky (.93) 9. Auburn (.86) 10. Georgia (.84) 11. Vanderbilt (.75) 12. South Carolina (.74).

Top Individual SEC Performers

Scoring -- 1. Rotnei Clarke (ARK) - 21.1 2. Chris Warren (UM) - 19.2 3. John Wall (UK) - 18.1 4. Tasmin Mitchell (LSU) - 18.0 5. Devan Downey (SC) - 17.7 6. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 16.8.

Now we see why Clarke was a hard target recruit for Billy Gillespie.

Rebounding -- 1. Storm Warren (LSU) - 11.4 2. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 10.1 3. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 9.6 4. Tasmin Mitchell (LSU) - 8.4 5. DeMarcus Cousins (UK) - 8.3.

Field Goal % -- 1. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 67.5 2. Storm Warren (LSU) - 64.3 3. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 62.5 4. Murphy Holloway (UM) - 59.5 5. Ravern Johnson (MSU) - 56.0.

Coming in at No. 7 is UK's John Wall at 54.0%, and at No. 8 UK's DeMarcus Cousins (52.9%).

Three-Point FG % (min. 2.5 made per game) -- 1. Rotnei Clarke (ARK) - 53.9 2. Ravern Johnson (MSU) - 50.0 3. Frankie Sullivan (AU) - 41.3 4. Chris Warren (UM) - 39.8.

Somebody get a hand in Clarke's face.

Assists Per Game -- 1. John Wall (UK) - 7.1 2. Mikhail Torrance (UA) - 5.5 t3. Dee Bost (MSU) - 5.4 t3. Julysses Nobles (ARK) - 5.4 5. Erving Walker (UF) - 5.1.

Steals Per Game -- 1. John Wall (UK) - 2.8 2. Devan Downey (SC) - 2.4 3. Ricky McPhee (UGA) - 2.1 4. DeWayne Reed (AU) - 2.0 5. Eniel Polynice (UM) - 1.9.

Free Throw % (min. 2.5 made per game) -- 1. Frankie Sullivan (AU) - 93.3 2. Mikhail Torrance (UA) - 90.9 3. Kodi Augustus (MSU) - 87.1 t4. Dustin Ware (UGA) - 82.8 t4. Trey Thompkins (UGA) - 82.8.

UK's John Wall checks in at No. 8, making 78.7% of his free throws.

Blocked Shots -- 1. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 5.3 2. Sam Muldrow (SC) - 3.3 3. Reginald Buckner (UM) - 2.4 4. JaMychal Green (UA) - 2.3 5. DeMarcus Cousins (UK) - 2.2.

Cousins is averaging less than 20 minutes per game!

Offensive Rebounds -- 1. Storm Warren (LSU) - 5.1 2. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 4.2 3. DeMarcus Cousins (UK) - 3.6 4. Murphy Holloway (UM) - 3.3 t5. JaMychal Green (UA) - 3.0 t5. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 3.0.

Patterson and Cousins average nearly as many offensive boards per game as the entire South Carolina team. Paying attention, Darren Horn?

Defensive Rebounds -- 1. Jarvis Varnado (MSU) - 7.1 2. Tasmin Mitchell (LSU) - 6.4 3. Storm Warren (LSU) - 6.3 4. Lucas Hargrove (AU) - 5.6 5. Patrick Patterson (UK) - 5.4.

UK's DeMarcus Cousins comes in at No. 8 with 4.7 defensive rebounds per game.

Assist/TO Ratio -- 1. Tyler Smith (UT) - 4.1 2. Chris Bass (LSU) - 2.9 3. Kenny Boynton (UF) - 2.3 4. Bobby Maze (UT) - 2.3 5. Erving Walker (UF) - 2.2.

John Wall is ranked No. 10 at 1.6. Very impressive number for Tyler Smith, and it may be indicative of the focus he has this season.

Bad Conference Losses -- Alabama (Cornell), Arkansas (Morgan State, East Tennessee State, and South Alabama), Auburn (Missouri State, Central Florida, and Troy), Georgia (Wofford and UAB), Mississippi State (Rider and Richmond), Vanderbilt (Western Kentucky).

Good Conference Wins -- Alabama (Michigan), Auburn (Virginia), Florida (Michigan State), Kentucky (Stanford, North Carolina, and UConn), Mississippi State (UCLA ... kind of), Mississippi (Kansas State), Vanderbilt (Arizona and Missouri).

Individual and Team Points of Interest

Rotnei Clarke scored 51 points versus Alcorn State ... In that game he made 13 three-point shots ... Clarke made 10 threes in a game versus East Tennessee State ... Devan Downey dropped 34 points on Jacksonville ... DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Tasmin Mitchell have all corralled 18 rebounds in a game this year ... John Wall dished out 14 dimes against UNC Asheville, and 11 versus Rider ... Dee Bost and Julysses Nobles each handed out 11 assists in games this year ... Jarvis Varnado has twice blocked eight shots this season ... Arkansas scored 130 points against Alcorn State ... Tennessee scored 124 points against UNC Asheville ... Arkansas shot 65.9% from the field against Delaware State ... Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi State have all made 16 three-pointers in games this year ... Arkansas made 35-45 free throws against Morgan State and still lost ... Auburn pulled down 52 rebounds versus Alabama A&M ... Florida and Vanderbilt both have games where they recorded 51 rebounds ... Tennessee dished out an astounding 34 assists in their contest with UNC Asheville ... UK handed out 28 dimes versus the same club ... Mississippi and Tennessee have both recorded 17 steals in games this year.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

And for their next trick...

One Man To Beat — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:50:56 -0000

More photos » by Rogelio V. Solis - AP

7 days ago: Mississippi guard Chris Warren (12) scores a first-half layup past UTEP guard Julyan Stone (5) during their NCAA college basketball game in Southaven, Miss., Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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Act one: Ole Miss narrowly edges Southern Miss 81-79 overcoming a six point deficit in the last 1:19 of regulation snagging victory from the jaws of defeat.

Act two: McNeese State, bound and determined to upset a newly ranked Rebel squad, holds a 15 point lead with only 11 minutes remaining in regulation. The Rebels tenacious defense and poise results in a 31-point swing in a 16 point (83-67) victory.

Act three: The UTEP Miners fans back in El Paso might have been jangling keys at the three minute mark boasting a 70-58 lead over the 20th best team in the land. Eight minutes later, Ole Miss caps off a 33-11 run winning in overtime 91-81.

Seriously, Rebels, have some compassion on your fans. Three come from behind victories in a row? Mississippi is the most obese state in the union, fans will drop left and right at this kind of trend.

PG Chris Warren dropped a career-high 32 on the Miners though he was nearly non-existant in the second half. Warren had 17 in the first half in 18 minutes of play, then cashed in 11 more in a five minute overtime period. Get the ball in his hands, and watch the magic happen. The speed is still there even after a season ending knee injury last year could have hampered his ability to get up and down the court.

SG Terrico White (the Robin to Warren's Batman thus far) added 19 for Ole Miss and really got the Rebel rally going in the final three minutes by draining two key three pointers. White and Warren are continually leading the team in scoring, but one player with a massive wingspan showed up Wednesday as well.

C Reginald "The" Buckner "Stops here" (Chris Berman has apparently invaded our blog) had mostly shown flashes on defense this season with his propensity for blocking shots. Buckner scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in this game, while also blocking three shots. He was hot early on and has played well enough in my opinion to warrant more playing time. His free throw shooting was suspect to say the least (1 of 5 from the charity stripe), but that could be a conditioning issue, the result of being a true freshman.

At times, SF Zach Graham was a huge spark-plug for the Ole Miss offense throwing down 14 points and shooting three of five from behind the arc. He's making a case for being the go-to sixth man for the Rebels.

UTEP had the upper hand going into the last three minutes of play. C Derrick Caracter was a huge addition, literally and figuratively for the Miners. Caracter recently cleared eligibility issues from his transfer from Louisville and had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds in the game. His fouling out in overtime was the final nail in the coffin in this contest. He'll be a big factor for this team moving forward into Conference-USA play.

The Miners were led in points by Randy Culpepper who couldn't seem to find his shot, going 2-12 in three point range. UTEP dropped to 5-2 on the year, but brighter days are ahead for this team that won more than 20 games last season.

The Rebels will play Centenary on Saturday, and I'm fairly certain most fans will chalk it up to be a lopsided victory. However, sources have disclosed to the Cup that the Rebels plan to spot Centenary 50, just to see if they can continue their escape artistry, another Houdini-like effort, in their quest for the Big Dance.

TB Jaws with the Ole Missians

BracketCat — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Will Rodney McGruder stay hot from behind the 3-point arc after torching the Boston Terriers for 20 points last night? (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Why, you ask, am I posting this if the answers are TB's?

Let's just say that I moonlight as a ghostwriter for slave wages and leave it at that.

Anyhow, our fearless leader imitated me in exchanging friendly questionnaires with the Fighting Colonel Sanders of Ole Miss, and the play-by-play follows after the jump.

Ole Miss blog: Denis Clemente is the go-to guy. Talk about how important he is to the team.

TB: He's the team's motor. When he's running smoothly, everything clicks. When he's missing, everything's a little choppier. This year, he has more weapons around him to help out, so even if he's a little off, we should still be able to get by. We're also looking forward to how his game will react to having legitimate low-post threats, something we haven't had in recent years. The hope is that it opens up the perimeter and driving lanes a little more.

OMb: Outside of Clemente, who are one or two other players that Ole Miss fans need to keep an eye on?

TB: One would be Jamar Samuels, a highlight reel waiting to happen. He tends to find his way to the rim for putbacks and such, and is starting to develop an outside game. I'll take a bit of a wild card on the other and say freshman Rodney McGruder. He's our sniper from the outside, and has connected on nine of his 12 3-point attempts this season.

OMb: The freshman that everyone has been talking about is Wally Judge. Just how good is he? And what other freshmen should make an impact?

TB: He's very good, but he's still adjusting to the college game a little bit. Right now, he's not getting a lot of minutes (12.7 per game), because a) he's not up to speed in Frank Martin's system, and b) we're pretty deep in the frontcourt. I have a feeling that when the light clicks on, he's going to go off.

OMb: What's your prediction for the final result?

TB: Given that I'm fairly optimistic about our basketball team, this may come as a surprise, but I think we lose this one tonight. Our players have not started well in any game this season, and have relied on depth to wear down vastly inferior opponents as the game wears on. We won't be able to do that to Ole Miss, and if we play poorly in the first half, we may be in too deep of a hole to make it up. Toward that end, this may serve as a "wake up" game for us. Right now, I'll say Ole Miss 68, K-State 64, and hope that I'm wrong.

And now for a change of possession...

TB: K-State and Ole Miss are two branches of the Bob Huggins coaching tree. How has Andy Kennedy been received in Oxford?

OMb: He's gotten nothing but support, from what I've seen, read and heard. It was understood when he took over that it would be a rebuilding job, but Kennedy is 64-39 at Ole Miss coming into today's game. Now, Kennedy finally has his own recruits coming into the program who can learn his system, which only bodes well for the future of Ole Miss basketball.

TB: It looks like Ole Miss starts a fairly small lineup. What do you expect the Rebels to do to counteract K-State's size advantage?

OMb: The Rebels almost certainly will look to keep the tempo at a high pace. With the small-ish lineup that Ole Miss will feature, it will allow for the guards to run the secondary break with guys like Murphy Holloway, Reginald Buckner and DeAundre Cranston filling the middle.

TB: Pardon my ignorance, but give us a player or two to keep an eye on in tonight's game.

OMb: First, Terrico White. He's a preseason First Team All-SEC selection after coming on as a freshman last season. White's one of the more athletically gifted players in the nation and if he develops into a more consistent jump shooter, watch out. The other guy who still is finding his legs is Chris Warren. Warren suffered a season-ending knee injury just 11 games into last season, after he came off a 2007-08 season in which he led the Rebels in scoring. If those two players are clicking, then Ole Miss' backcourt will be hard to contain.

TB: Zone defenses have been a thorn for Frank Martin's teams. Will Kennedy play zone, or is he strictly a man-to-man coach?

OMb: So far, it's strictly been man-to-man. You might notice at times, off made baskets, when Ole Miss will jump into a soft, 1-2-1-1 full-court press. It's really a soft press in that there is one, or two, trap options and if they can't force an early trap, the defense will fall back into a traditional man-to-man set.

TB: Give us one key to Ole Miss winning, and your prediction for the game.

OMb: There are two factors, for me: 1) free-throw shooting and 2) rebounding. If the Rebels are able to win the margin on the glass and hit their free throws, then I don't see why they can't win. That said, this is the biggest test of the season thus far for Ole Miss. Kansas State will feature size and athleticism that the Rebels haven't seen. Clearly, these are two teams that are poised to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which makes this such a huge game early in the season. As for a prediction, I'll let a coin flip do the honors.

Rebel Roundup - 11/9/09 - The Wall Came Tumblin' Down

The Ghost of Jay Cutler — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:56:50 -0000

Communism sucked.

Historically, Today is Kindof a Big Deal

I worry that my generation, being the first in a long time to grow up without a true, powerful communist entity in the world, cannot really grasp the weight of the events which occurred on November the 9th, 1989. I know this is a Rebel sports blog and all, but I suggest y'all read up on the Iron Curtain, Soviet Bloc, Berlin Wall, and German Reunification sometime today. You'll enjoy it.

Extra Motivation Not Needed | GoVolsXtra.com
Hey, do you remember that coach that we had for a few years; the one who turned our football team into an unmotivated heap of wasted potential, program into a national punchline, and fan-base into a bunch of stargazing recruitin' geeks? Yeah well he coaches for a team we're playing this Saturday. Read up.

This Week For Ole Miss | The Clarion Ledger
Here's a look at the Volunteer offenses and defenses in brief, paragraphed blurbs. The numbers I'm seeing don't exactly thrill me.

Rebel Yawn | The Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal points out that Rebel fans and players weren't thrilled about playing a D1-AA (or FCS, whatever) opponent during the first week of November a week after an agonizing loss to Auburn. They dedicated several hundred words to this endeavor. Tomorrow in the CA, expect a 700-word prediction of the sun setting that evening, only to rise again the next day.

3 Questions with Keith Carter | The Sporting News
Basketball talk here. Keith Carter, the former All-American Rebel guard and current radio analyst, discusses Terrico White, Chris Warren, and the Rebels' chances in the SEC this season. Later today or tomorrow, expect the Cup's comprehensive basketball preview which is more-or-less complete sans this guy's contribution. I've been kinda lazy this past week.

BtB 2009-10 Southeastern Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:27:31 -0000

During the two weeks before Selection Sunday last March, I frequently heard these words (or something close) in conversation, "The SEC is going to get more than two or three bids to the Tourney. How can we not? We're the SEC." Of course, it took another surprising run through the SEC Tournament by a team nicknamed the Bulldogs to keep the Southeastern Conference from becoming (gasp) a two bid league. But Mississippi State became the league's second straight surprise auto bid winner. However, just like Georgia in 2008, the boys from Starkville also lost in the first round after getting a low seed.

But it's not like the two SEC teams who earned at-large bids did much better. Ninth seeded Tennessee fell to Oklahoma State in a tight first round contest, while eighth seeded LSU reached round two, where they were outclassed by North Carolina. Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, and South Carolina all ended up in the NIT, where none of the four managed to make it to New York. Vanderbilt won 19 games and didn't even get a postseason bid. All in all, it was a disappointing 2008-09 for a conference used to postseason success.

The good news for the SEC is that the league should be far better this year, thanks to a couple of major coaching hires (as explained in my Coaching Carousel column) and an infusion of new talent (some of whom are listed in my All-Transfer and All-Freshman team columns). But there's a lot more going on in the league than what happened in Lexington and Tuscaloosa this offseason, which I'll explain after the jump.

Let's first take a look at last season's SEC standings.

Southeastern Conference Standings

(updated 3.25.2009 at 10:42 PM EDT)

East	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
South Carolina Gamecocks	10	6	21	10
Tennessee Volunteers	10	6	21	13
Florida Gators	9	7	25	11
Kentucky Wildcats	8	8	22	14
Vanderbilt Commodores	8	8	19	12
Georgia Bulldogs	3	13	12	20

West	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
LSU Tigers	13	3	27	8
Auburn Tigers	10	6	24	12
Mississippi St. Bulldogs	9	7	23	13
Alabama Crimson Tide	7	9	18	14
Mississippi Rebels	7	9	16	15
Arkansas Razorbacks	2	14	14	16

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a school's name appears in red, that's a link to its SBNation site. You can go there for more detailed analysis throughout the season.

West Division

Auburn (last NCAA: 2003) The Tigers fell to Baylor in the NIT quarterfinals last season, a disappointing end to a good season that could've ended in the NCAA Tournament with a marquee win or two. It's going to take a lot for Jeff Lebo's team to reach that level of success this season. Even with the graduation of Rasheem Barrett (9.9 ppg) and Quantez Robertson (6.0 ppg, 3.2 apg), DeWayne Reed (13.2 ppg, 3.7 apg) and Tay Waller (12.1 ppg) anchor a solid backcourt that will give the opposition fits. However, Korvotney Barber and his contributions of nearly 13 points and 10 rebounds a game will be severely missed in the frontcourt, even in Lebo's guard-oriented system. Seniors Brendan Knox and Johnnie Lett will have to step up to fill the void left by Barber's departure, and freshmen Rob Chubb and Ty Armstrong can expect to see playing time as well. Junior college transfer Kenny Gabriel should also see significant time, as he can be a true inside/outside threat for Auburn.

LSU (last NCAA: 2009) Expect the Tigers, last year's SEC regular season champs, to take a step back after the loss of three key starters. F Marcus Thornton and his 21 points per game are gone, so is C Chris Johnson, and the team's heart and soul, PG Garrett Temple. However, LSU still has Tasmin Mitchell, who averaged 16.3 points and 7.2 rebounds last season, while spending time at both small forward and power forward. Guard Bo Spencer is the other returning starter. He's a good shooter (averaging 11.4 ppg while shooting 40% from beyond the arc), but is coming off wrist surgery. Beyond those two, head coach Trent Johnson has his work cut out for him, as none of the other returnees averaged more than 2 points per contest. Expect the newcomers, like G Aaron Dotson (coming off a patellar tendon injury) and Fs Eddie Ludwig and Garrett Green (a medical redshirt last year), to see significant time during the rebuilding process.

Arkansas (last NCAA: 2008) It hasn't been the greatest of offseasons in Fayetteville, where head coach John Pelphrey will suspend at least one player after an offseason rape investigation that resulted in no charges. The possibility of suspensions will make the Razorbacks task of recovering from last season a bit more difficult. The Hogs were in full rebuilding mode last year, but managed to get off to a 12-1 start, featuring wins over regional rivals Oklahoma and Texas. It didn't last, and Arkansas finished bottom of the SEC West with a ghastly 2-14 record. This season, the Razorbacks will again roll out a three-guard lineup in their search for more consistency. That quest starts at point guard, where sophomore Courtney Fortson did a great job of distributing the ball (nearly 6 assists per game), while turning it over far too often (4.4 per game). Rotnei Clark led the nation's freshmen in three point shooting (39.3%), and Stefan Welsh contributed 11.5 oints per game. PF Michael Washington decided to stay in school, which means the Hogs keep their leading scorer (15.5) and conference-leading rebounder (9.8). The biggest reason Arkansas is this low is depth, with only six returning players from last season, Pelphrey will need a lot out of his newcomers to move up the SEC ladder.

Alabama (last NCAA: 2006) Bama alum Mark Gottfried resigned as head coach last January, when it was clear that the Tide would spend a third straight year outside of the NCAAs. Anthony Grant left a good gig at VCU to take the head job, and he's going to try to implement a more up-tempo style in Tuscaloosa. Alabama's biggest issue over the past few seasons has been inconsistent point guard play, especially with Ronald Steele's injuries and eventual departure from the program. Senior Mikhail Torrance (10 ppg, 2.3 apg) moved to the 1 slot after Steele left the program and performed well, though he's more of a natural shooting guard. As Grant implements his offense, watch for 5-9 Anthony Brock and Andrew Steele, Ronald's brother, to get time at the point, so Torrance can move over to his natural position. In the frontcourt, Grant has two 6-9 guys who will need to step it up. JaMychal Green had a decent freshman season, but will need to better his averages of 10.6 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Justin Knox, who averaged 5.7 ppg and 5.1 rpg, should be able to increase both those numbers with more time on the court.

Mississippi (last NCAA: 2002) Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy made headlines for all the wrong reasons last season, when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a cab driver the night before the Rebels faced his former employer, Cincinnati, in the SEC/Big East Invitational. Things only got worse from there, as Miss lost All-SEC guard Chris Warren to a knee injury during that outing. Add in the fact that the Rebels had already lost Eniel Polynice and Trevor Gaskins to injuries, and it's amazing that they managed 16 wins last year. This season, all three guards are back, making the loss of Florida transfer David Huertas almost inconsequential. Zach Graham, the team's best three point shooter, is also back, giving the Rebels perhaps the best backcourt in the league. Kennedy's frontcourt isn't quite as strong. Sophomore Murphy Holloway will have to improve on his 8.4 points and 6.6 boards per game, while 6-8 freshman Reginald Bucker and 6-9 JC transfer DeAngelo Riley will have to contribute immediately. The fact the Rebels don't quite have the inside force to match Miss State's Varnado means they should finish behind their in-state rivals in the standings.

Mississippi State (last NCAA: 2009) Rick Stansbury recruited Renardo Sidney to provide some support for C Jarvis Varnado inside. However, it doesn't look like the NCAA is going to rule Sidney eligible. Stansbury also got a commitment from 7-2 Sudanese C John Riek, who was finally ruled eligible, but will have to sit out the first 9 games of the season. That means Varnado, who fell ill at one point this summer, will likely see some time as the lone big man on the court if Stansbury runs out a four-guard offense, as he did frequently last season. When you have guards like Dee Bost, Ravern Johnson, Barry Stewart, and Phil Turner who can shoot the three well, that offensive strategy isn't a bad idea. However, with the development of 6-8 Fs Kodi Augustus and Romero Osby (and Riek's eventual eligibility), you can expect to see Varnado get far more frontcourt help. Additionally, Varnado only needs 19 blocks to pass Shaquille O'Neal as the SEC's all-time leader in that category (though Shaq did it in fewer games).

East Division

Georgia (last NCAA: 2008) For some reason, Mark Fox decided to leave a Nevada program he (along with LSU head man Trent Johnson) made into a national name. Fox now replaces Dennis Felton at the helm of a Georgia program that has never fully recovered from the Jim Harrick era, which is now six years in the past. After the graduation of G/F Terrance Woodbury (14.0 ppg), Fox is left with only one double-digit scorer from last season. However, 6-9 F Howard Thompkins is a pretty good player to have on your roster. Thompkins averaged 12.6 points and 7.4 boards per game, and should be even better after an offseason spent on the USA's Under-19 World Championship-winning team. In the backcourt, Dustin Ware should start at point guard, as he averaged 7.2 points and 3.4 dimes per game in 2008-09. After that, Fox has a lot of decisions to make, and that means the Bulldogs will probably be rooted to the bottom of the SEC standings yet again.

South Carolina (last NCAA: 2004) In Darrin Horn's first year at the helm, the Gamecocks managed to tie Tennessee atop the SEC East. Even though they only lost guard Zam Fredrick and his 15.5 points per game, Carolina probably won't reach such heights this season. That's not to say that the Gamecocks won't manage to get back to the NCAAs, something they failed to do last year. Thanks to the return of G Devan Downey (19.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, SEC leading 89 steals) and F Dominique Archie (10.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the Gamecocks still have some real star power in the lineup. Returning starters Mike Holmes (10.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Sam Muldrow (5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) should provide even more help to Archie in the frontcourt this season, while JC transfer Johndre Jefferson will be expected to spend time at both small and power forward. In the backcourt, Evaldas Baniulis, after averaging a bit more than 6 points a game while shooting 48 percent from behind the arc, is expected to take a more active role in the offense with the graduation of Fredrick, as is 6-5 swingman Lakeem Jackson, a heralded recruit from Charlotte.

Florida (last NCAA: 2007) Has it really been over two years since the Gators last featured in an NCAA Tournament game? While the days of back-to-back championships may be in the rear-view mirror, Billy Donovan's latest group has the chance to finally get off the bubble. Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin will be eligible this season, and he'll slide into the center position. That will allow Alex Tyus to move back to his natural position, power forward, which will allow Dan Werner to move to small forward. Kenny Kadji should be better in his sophomore year as well, giving the Gators more of a presence inside. More consistency is expected out of swingman Chandler Parsons, whose performances alternate between brilliant and frustrating. In the backcourt, Erving Walker (10.1 ppg, 2.4 apg) will lead the offense after Nick Calathes' departure for Greece. Israeli newcomer Nimrod Tishman could also see time at the point if the NCAA rules him eligible. Impact freshman Kenny Boynton will start at shooting guard. He's expected to be the Gators new three-point threat, though he can also really drive to the hoop.

Vanderbilt (last NCAA: 2008) The Commodores sat at home last postseason, despite finishing the regular season with 7 wins in their last 10. Vandy shouldn't be so unlucky this season. Chemistry should be good, as head coach Kevin Stallings gave up a $100,000 raise so the team could take a scheduled trip to Australia, home country of star C A.J. Ogilvy. Ogilvy averaged 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and those numbers should improve if he stays healthier this season. The 'Dores frontcourt boasts an international flavor beyond their Aussie star with Swede Jeffery Taylor (12.2 ppg. 6.2 rpg) a fixture at small forward, 6-9 Cameroonian PF Steve Tchiengang (3.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) expected to spend more time in the 4 spot, and 6-11 Nigerian C Festus Ezeli (3.8 ppg. 2.6 rpg) expected to both backup and spend time on the floor with Ogilvy. 6-7 Andre Walker may also return to the starting lineup, after suffering an ACL tear early last season. The backcourt may be more US-centric, but it's still talented. Jermaine Beal (12.5 ppg, 3.2 apg) amd Brad Tinsley (11.0 ppg, 2.8 apg) will take turns running the offense, but 6-4 John Jenkins, the USA's highest scoring high school player last season, will get plenty of opportunities to showcase his inside/outside game. Even if he only manages 25 percent of his senior year average, Jenkins should provide plenty of scoring punch for the Commodores.

Tennessee (last NCAA: 2009) The Volunteers return all five starters in their quest to improve on last year's NCAA first round exit. The best news for the Vols this offseason was Tyler Smith's decision to skip the NBA Draft and return for his senior season. Bruce Pearl is glad he doesn't have to replace Smith's 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Wayne Chism (13.7 ppg, 8 rpg) will continue to be a force inside, while 6-10 C Brian Williams will need to improve his scoring (5 ppg) to match his rebounding (5.6 rpg). Bobby Maze (8.2 ppg, 3.2 apg) will run the offense, while J.P. Prince and Scotty Hopson, who were forces at both ends of the floor last year, are expected to continue their strong two-way play. Cameron Tatum (7.6 ppg) and Renaldo Woolridge, son of former NBA star Orlando, are going to be Bruce Pearl's key swingmen this season.. Woolridge, who only managed 2.6 points in a little more than 8 minutes a contest, should be improved in his sophomore season. The Vols only personnel loss is a sad story, as Nigerian F Emmanuel Negedu, as he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest last month.

Kentucky (last NCAA: 2008) During my Season Preview series, I've written a fair amount about John Calipari's arrival in Lexington and his stellar recruiting class. Patrick Patterson (17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) will lead a strong frontcourt that already features senior Perry Stevenson (7.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg), and will be bolstered by the arrival of the 6-11 DeMarcus Cousins and 6-10 Daniel Orton, two highly coveted recruits. And the backcourt will feature the most highly coveted recruit for this season, 6-4 point guard John Wall, who will be responsible for running Calipari's dribble drive offense. If the chemistry works, the Wildcats will quickly be on their way, and the blue half of the Commonwealth will quickly forget about the Gillispie period.

I'm picking Kentucky to win the overall SEC title, so they'll take the league's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-SEC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-SEC Team

Player of the Year: Tyler Smith, 6-7 F, Sr. (Tennessee)

Remainder of the Team
Devan Downey, 5-9 G, Sr. (South Carolina)
Tasmin Mitchell, 6-7 F, Sr. (LSU)
Patrick Patterson, 6-9 F, Jr. (Kentucky)
Jarvis Varnado, 6-9 F/C, Sr. (Mississippi State)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the SEC this season?

Alabama

9 votes

Arkansas

9 votes

Auburn

3 votes

Florida

14 votes

Georgia

2 votes

Kentucky

213 votes

LSU

3 votes

Ole Miss

7 votes

Mississippi State

57 votes

South Carolina

5 votes

Tennessee

68 votes

Vanderbilt

17 votes

407 votes | Poll has closed

Kentucky at Ole Miss: Pre Game

Truzenzuzex — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:07:05 -0000

Tonight, Kentucky once more goes on the road in the SEC to take on the Ole Miss Rebels down in Oxford. Ole Miss has had a really trying year so far, losing several key players to injury. Not even the coach has been immune, with Andy Kennedy having some kind of a physical altercation with a cab driver that has resulted in lawsuits and a charge of criminal assault against Kennedy.

On the basketball court, Ole Miss has struggled since the loss of Chris Warren at the very end of a close game in Louisville. Several players have tried to pick up the slack, but you can't lose someone like Warren and just recover from it, and Ole miss has lost four out of five games in the conference.

So now, let's take a look at Ole Miss from a statistical standpoint

Player Statistics (Courtesy of Statsheet.com)

Normal starters are highlighted in yellow. Players highlighted in gray are out.

Player	GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	Size/Wt	Year	Pos	Role	Status
Zach Graham	19	11	21.6	7.2	43.9	2.9	0.9	0.5	0.3	6'5''/225	Fr	G	Role Player	Avail
Murphy Holloway	19	12	20.8	8.5	58.4	5.8	0.8	1.3	0.2	6'7''/215	Fr	F	Role Player	Avail
Will Bogan	19	6	14.2	2.4	31.7	0.5	1.3	0.3	0	6'1''/165	Fr	G	Limited	Avail
David Huertas	19	19	32.6	19.5	44.9	4.8	2.4	1.1	0.3	6'5''/197	So	G	Major Cont.	Avail
Malcolm White	19	15	22.3	5.7	42.6	4.9	0.2	0.3	1.4	6'9''/220	So	F	Limited	Avail
Michael Halford	1	0	4	0	0	1	1	0	1	6'3''/185	Fr	G	Non-factor	Avail
Patrick Spach	8	0	3.4	0	0	0.1	0.5	0	0	6'1''/167	Sr	G	Non-factor	Avail
Trevor Gaskins	1	0	10	4	33.3	2	0	0	0	6'2''/203	So	G	Non-factor	Out
Ryan Brown	5	0	1.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	6'1''/200	Sr	G	Non-factor	Avail
Kevin Cantinol	12	1	6.3	0.9	71.4	0.8	0.1	0.1	0.2	6'10''/245	Fr	F	Invisible	Avail
Terrico White	19	9	26.6	9.3	39.8	3.1	1.9	0.9	0	6'5''/195	Fr	G	Sig. Cont.	Avail
Chris Warren	11	11	34.4	19.6	38.6	1.5	4	2.5	0	5'10''/170	So	G	Go-to guy	Out
Terrance Henry	19	3	18.5	4.8	41.3	3.6	1.1	0.2	0.5	6'9''/190	Fr	F	Role Player	Avail
DeAundre Cranston	19	7	16.5	2.8	43.1	4.2	0.7	0.4	0.4	6'9''/245	Fr	F	Limited	Avail

Team Statistics (Courtesy of Kenpom.com)

	Kentucky		Ole Miss
Category	Offense	Defense	Offense	Defense	D-I Avg
Adj. Efficiency:	109.2 [63]	86.3 [9]	108.8 [66]	103.2 [219]	100.5
Adj. Tempo:	70.1 [60]		68.2 [127]		67.1
Four Factors
Effective FG%:	55.7 [9]	41.8 [4]	48.7 [174]	49.8 [212]	48.8
Turnover %:	25.0 [330]	20.7 [171]	18.9 [69]	18.8 [277]	20.9
Off. Reb. %:	35.0 [115]	29.6 [51]	35.7 [86]	37.5 [303]	33.2
FTA/FGA:	43.2 [42]	32.3 [94]	35.1 [192]	34.2 [131]	36.3
Miscellaneous Components
3P%:	35.6 [116]	32.9 [118]	34.4 [156]	33.8 [164]	34
2P%:	56.7 [5]	38.1 [2]	47.4 [190]	49.4 [227]	47.7
FT%:	79.0 [5]	68.6 [167]	75.4 [16]	64.2 [25]	68.6
Block%:	6.9 [55]	18.4 [2]	8.2 [131]	7.8 [211]	8.9
Steal%:	11.0 [259]	9.3 [220]	8.6 [65]	9.3 [217]	10
Style Components
3PA/FGA:	30.5 [234]	32.7 [179]	31.9 [189]	32.5 [169]	33.1
A/FGM:	63.1 [24]	43.9 [9]	46.8 [315]	56.0 [214]	54.3
Point Distribution (% of total points)
3-Pointers:	22.4 [289]	30.5 [68]	26.6 [193]	27.1 [185]	27.5
2-Pointers:	54.2 [128]	48.5 [281]	52.1 [183]	54.8 [80]	52.2
Free Throws:	23.5 [41]	21.0 [151]	21.3 [117]	18.1 [268]	20.3
Strength of Schedule
Components:	101.2 [149]	100.3 [162]	103.0 [62]	97.8 [35]	100.5
Overall:	0.5242 [161]		0.6464 [45]		0.5
Non-conference:	0.4342 [238]		0.5669 [119]		0.5
Personnel
Bench Minutes:	33.0% [130]		34.9% [94]		31.40%
Experience:	1.26 yrs [287]		0.68 yrs [343]		1.65
Effective Height:	+1.6 [74]		+1.5 [83]		0
Average Height:	78.6" [3]		77.2" [77]		76.5"

Analysis

You can see from the above charts that UK is a vastly superior team defensively, and just as efficient as the Rebels offensively. UK's offensive rating suffered a little due to the recent defensive struggle in Alabama, but it is likely to go the other direction tonight.

Because of a multitude of serious injuries, the Ole Miss Rebels have been trying to cobble together something out of spare parts and bailing wire. Florida transfer David Huertas has had to take over almost the complete scoring load from Chris Warren, who went down from a season-ending knee injury at Louisville earlier this year. Huertas is the only player who has started every game this year.

Looking at the starters, you can see why Ole Miss is struggling this year -- not a single upperclassman among them. In fact, there are only two on the team, both seniors and neither of whom see significant minutes. Will Bogan has taken over the point guard duties from Chris Warren. He is a good perimeter shooter, but has not exactly excelled in the point guard role, having an A/TO of just slightly over 1/1. Malcolm White is the biggest player in the starting lineup, but he only manages around five rebounds per game. Zach Graham is a good three-point shooter, and the combination of Huertas, Graham and Boggan make for a dangerous perimeter shooting team. The other starter, Murphy Holloway, is mainly in for rebounding and defense. Terrico White is a significant contributor off the bench, and is the second-leading scorer of the team that the Rebels will put on the floor tonight.

Ole Miss has neither the bodies nor the skill to hold down either Patrick Patterson or Jodie Meeks. They are so depleted and young, it will be hard for them to do anything but zone the Wildcats, with the hope that the 'Cats won't solve it well. This could happen and has happened in the past, but I do think that the 'Cats are now able to effectively attack a zone, especially one in which many of the team's best athletes are currently in rehab.

Defensively, if the 'Cats play like they did against Alabama, this game could get very ugly for Ole Miss. Huertas is a capable scorer, but he needs help to get his shot. Inside, the Rebels are too small and too slow to do much scoring against Kentucky unless Patterson and Stevenson take the night off.

Conclusion

The only way Ole Miss beats Kentucky tonight is by shooting lights-out from three and being extremely effective in holding down Patrick Patterson or Jodie Meeks. Note that they almost must do both, because only one will likely not produce enough points to win, although they could make it interesting.

If the Rebels zone the 'Cats and Meeks is hot, he could set another record against them. Even if he isn't hot, he is likely to shoot well enough to force them to face-guard him and go to a box-and-one. Face-guarding Meeks has not been a successful tactic so far by any team who has tried it, because the 'Cats are getting better at off-the-ball screens and Meeks just seems to have no limit to the energy he can exert to get open. I really don't think Ole Miss can be effective against Kentucky in the man-to-man, as thier relatively poor defensive efficiency illustrates. Ole Miss is OK against the three, but they aren't very good against the 2, and that's where Kentucky excels.

Another problem for the Rebels is offensive rebounding. You can see from their size why this would be an issue, and if UK pounds them on the offensive glass, it will be game over very early. Turnovers for Kentucky are not likely to be as much of a problem tonight, because the Rebels turn the ball over a lot as well.

In the end, this game looks like a big mismatch on paper. The Rebels can beat us if they shoot it well from outside, but a lot of other stuff has to go well for them at the same time in order for them to pull off this upset.

Gamecocks Hoops Weekly Forecast: January 18-24

Gamecock Man — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:40:37 -0000

South Carolina digs deeper into their SEC schedule this week, currently sitting at 12-4 overall and 1-2 in conference. The Gamecocks take on two teams at home this week: Florida on Wednesday, Ole Miss on Saturday. ESPN's bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has Carolina eight picks outside of the tourney, and a good showing during this homestand, especially if that includes a victory over the newly ranked Gators, would go a long way towards getting us on the right side of the bubble. Let's take a look at how we stack up against Florida and Ole Miss.

Florida

The Gators come into this game with a 16-2 record overall, a perfect conference record, and are ranked 24 in the newest AP poll. Their two losses are to Syracuse and FSU. While Florida likes to run the floor and put the ball in the hands of their guards, the Gators' biggest threat to us comes in the form of their two talented forwards, Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons. Combined, the two average over 20 ppg, and we will have trouble defending them.

Because of this, the Gators will likely get their points against us, barring a Herculean defensive performance by us or a terrible shooting night by Florida. That's not to say that it's not possible that they won't score a lot of points; they scored 55 and shot 39% in the loss to FSU, and scored 68 and shot 39% in a narrow win over Auburn. Both games, notably, were away from Gainesville, and we can hope for a little home-court advantage of our own. However, both games were also against teams that like to slow things down and play half-court defense a little more than we do, so if the Gators still score around 80, don't be surprised. With that in mind, our best chance to win this game will likely be to simply outscore Florida. Luckily, that's possible, too: Syracuse, a team that relies on a strong perimeter, jump shot offense much like our own when we're not in the fast break, beat the Gators 89-83, and if Devan Downey and Zam Fredrick can heat up, then we can do the same.

Ole Miss

While Ole Miss is playing a little better than some expected they would after they lost Chris Warren to injury and had to begin going through the drama surrounding Andy Kennedy, this is still a team with seven losses, that lacks its best player, and that just lost by almost 30 to LSU on its own court. This is a game we should win, perhaps by a fairly large margin. Ole Miss relies on its guards on offense and plays a smaller lineup than Florida or LSU, so we should be able to get them to play our game and we won't have to worry about matchup problems down low. As long as we don't play sloppy, make our shots, and keep David Huertas from heating up, I say we can take the Rebels with ease.

Louisville 77, Mississippi 68

Mike Rutherford — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:15:15 -0000

Well, for about eight minutes we were all treated to the sort of dominant performance this team was expected to give night in and night out over the course of the early part of the season. For the final 32 minutes, we saw the baffling inconsistently that has instead plagued the preseason's third-ranked squad.

Still, the Cards prevailed against their toughest opponent to date and tasted victory outside Freedom Hall for the first time, a pair of facts it's hard to complain about.

I can't recall a Cardinal player coming closer to single-handedly winning a game than Earl Clark did last night. He did everything he wanted so seemingly effortlessly in the first ten minutes of the game, which made it all the more astonishing when his teammates completely neglected him for the final ten minutes of the half.

Samardo Samuels is a man-child, Terrence Williams might be the best athlete in the country, but this team isn't all it could be when Earl Clark isn't the best player on the floor. If U of L wins any sort of postseason championship (conference, regional, national) then I can just about guarantee that Clark will be the one holding the most valuable player trophy in the middle of the on-court celebration...and that his speech will be hilarious.

That was a Herculean effort.

Major praise needs to be sent in the direction of one Rick Pitino for scrapping the press, going to strictly man-to-man and sticking Terrence Williams on David Huertas for the final two and-a-half minutes of the game. There were only two Ole Miss players on the floor capable of winning the game for the Rebels, and Pitino made every move he could to minimize the possibility of that happening.

Far from T-Will's best offensive effort (ZOMG HE MISSED A DUNK), but the three-pointer and the short jumper on the baseline that he did make were two enormous shots. And then of course he did an outstanding job on Huertas in the last two minutes, and came down with the two biggest defensive rebounds (two of his 11) of the game.

What can you say to Samardo Samuels besides mama said there'd be days like this? Forget about bringing the ball down too low, not passing out of the post and dribbling when you shouldn't be dribbling; I've never seen somebody that big miss so many semi-uncontested lay-ups. Math and science were never my thing, but there had to have been multiple laws of averages and physics defied inside the U.S. Bank Arena last night. If Samuels makes 3/4 of his two-footers then the game is never in doubt, which is sort of comforting, I guess.

It was the first real adversity the big man has faced, and even though his expression failed to hide his dismay, he never stopped working hard and finished the game with 13 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive end.

All you can do is hope that the freshman uses last night as inspitration, because it goes without saying that he has to be better.

After three years, I think we can conclude that Jerry Smith isn't going to change the way he plays defense, which means whether or not he picks up three fouls in 30 seconds will continue to depend solely on the officiating crew that particular night. I'd still love for the man to marry into my family, but he does far too many of the same things he did as a freshman. For example, getting too excited and fouling on the press, running into a three-point shooter who shoots 85% from the line, or getting a handle on the ball after a mad scramble and trying to go to the hole instead of slowing things down and letting the rest of the team get into the offensive set.

He's got to morph back into the stable and reliable Jerry Smith that helped last year's team so much when it got to conference play.

Preston Knowles missed a pair of really uncharacteristic quick jumpers during a key stretch last night, but I thought the way he played on defense more than made up for those ill-advised shots. He was only credited with two steals, but he got his hands on at least three more, and also partially blocked at least two shots that went uncredited. He's earning every minute he gets right now.

Pitino said after the game that the next step in getting this team to the next level was having Edgar Sosa become a great point guard. I'm not sure if this was simply a motivational tool or if he truly believes Sosa being an elite floor general is a possibility.

The problem I have with looking to Sosa to be the guy at the point come March is that he's never going to bring the defensive intensity that the other three guards do. It's not going to happen. Andre Mcgee made some questionable decisions with the ball again last night, but the pressure he and Knowles put on Warren and Huertas was the key to the run that stretched the lead to ten during the first part of the second half.

If Sosa can obtain a pass-first mentality and stop doing the things like inexplicably driving to the basket and losing the ball out-of-bounds with 20 seconds on the shot clock in the last minute of the game then great, but he's never going to be a guy who can get you cheap points off the press, and he's always going to be a liability if you want to play man against a team with a point guard who can fill it up.

It was good to see Reggie Delk contribute his best minutes of the season thus far. There's going to be at least one time over the next three months when T-Will gets himself into foul trouble and Delk will be relied upon to give some solid time at the three, so getting his confidence up before the new year is a major positive.

I thought it was sort of strange that we didn't see more Terrence Jennings and George Goode when Samardo was struggling so mightily in the second half, especially since each seemed to do some good things during the limited stint they had on the floor. I suppose Pitino saw this as a major learning opportunity, and wanted Samuels to fully absorb it.

If Ole Miss had won, I wonder if (alleged) racially insensitive assaults on cab drivers would have become the next big thing in college basketball. Thankfully, we'll never know.

Yeah, that was lame, but it had to be mentioned.

Here's hoping the team got a great night's sleep and encountered no flight issues.