SB Nation - Murphy Holloway

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.

Round Ball Round Up 11.20.09

Year2 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:31:50 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

26 days ago: Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins, right, pulls a rebound away from Sam Houston State's Antuan Bootle during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in Lexington, Ky., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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LAST NIGHT

The No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats went north of the century mark to hold off a feisty Sam Houston State team 102-92. DeMarcus Cousins starred for the Cats, leading the team both with 27 points and 18 rebounds. John Wall (21) and Patrick Patterson (20) also got to 20 points for UK, who saw all five starters go in double digits but didn't register a single bench point in the game. A Sea of Blue has the postmortem on the win.

Meanwhile on the Island of Enchantment, Ole Miss picked up a win over a Big Ten squad with its 89-71 victory over Indiana. Murphy Holloway's 26 points was tops among the four Rebels that made it into double figures, while Reginald Buckner hauled in 12 rebounds off the bench. Eniel Polynice once again led the team in assists with seven. Red Cup Rebellion didn't have much to say about the win, but it did notice the bizarre way that ESPN apparently paid tribute to Houston Nutt's favorite offensive series.

UPDATE

Red Cup Rebellion has a full post-game write up now.

Back in Starkville, Mississippi State bounced back from its disappointing season-opening loss to run past Southeastern Louisiana 82-67 for their first win of the year. Jarvis Varnado nearly had a double-double with his 20 points and eight blocks. Nope SEC, he still hasn't graduated yet. Phil Turner did have a double-double, scoring 10 and grabbing 14 boards. Like with Kentucky, all five Bulldog starters reached double digits, but unlike the 'Cats, MSU got 12 points from its reserves.

South Carolina had little trouble going to 3-0 with its 78-68 win over La Salle. It was close around halftime, but a 13-4 Gamecock run that ended midway through the second half put the game away. Dominique Archie led Carolina with 17 points, while reserve guard Brandis Raley-Ross poured in 16. Seven Gamecocks scored at least six points and four made it to double figures.

WEDNESDAY

The Florida Gators held their second straight opponent under 50 points as Georgia Southern took its second loss to SEC teams of the season with UF's 69-49 win. Kenny Boynton paced the reptilian effort with 22 points, Chandler Parsons had 15 and 12 off the bench, and Georgetown transfer Vernon Macklin contributed 15 points. Neither team shot particularly well, as both teams were under 40% from the field.

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

SEC Tournament: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Ole Miss

Ken Howlett — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:42:29 -0000

Kentucky (19-12, 8-8) enters today's 1:00 EST first round SEC Tournament match-up with Ole Miss needing a win to not only preserve hope for an NCAA Tournament bid, but also to calm the gathering storm clouds of scrutiny. UK head man Billy Gillispie is enduring more second-guessing than George Custer, and desperately, urgently requires a victory to keep the media, and the collective wrath of Big Blue Nation from dismantling his troubled regime, piece by battered piece.

Four straight losses, and a 3-8 record over the last 11 games, have led many to question Gillispie's ability to lead college basketball's winningest (for now) program. But, winning three or four games in a row in March oftentimes can cure the worst of maladies. The onset of salvation awaits the troubled 'Cats and their beleaguered chief, in the form of the Mississippi Rebels.

Ironically, Ole Miss represents the beginning of the "dark times" for this UK basketball team: Coming off five straight wins to open SEC play, UK stood tall in the saddle, with talk of 13, 14, even 15 league wins (and sugar plums dancing in their heads) ... until that fateful trip to Oxford on January 27, which resulted in an 85-80 lackluster loss for the 'Cats. And thus began UK's downward death spiral of unparalleled proportions.

But, being the ever-optimistic chap that I am, the question has to be asked -- Will Ole Miss represent another, more palatable turning point? Will today's game launch UK into a new, more successful season?

UK is certainly more talented than the overachieving Rebels, but talent hasn't been the pivotal factor in Kentucky's disappointing results. Heart, determination, will, and execution have been absent without leave for this Wildcat squad, and can be pointed to as the primary culprit for this most disappointing of seasons. But, if the 'Cats can somehow summon from the grave the requisite winning formula long since lost ... well, a four win Georgia team did it last year ... it's certainly "Cat-possible."

First up, the Rebels of Ole Miss

Mississippi Personnel -- Conference Stats Only

Terrico White: 6-5, 211 lb freshman guard -- White averages 18.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game (2.3 turnovers per game). He's shooting 44.5% from the field, 35.7% from beyond the arc (46-129), and 63.8% from the free throw line.

He was named SEC Freshman of the Year by the coaches ... In his last six games White is averaging 22.3 points per game ... In his last four games he's taken an average of 10.8 three-pointers per game, and he's making them at a 34.9% clip ... He took 23 shots versus Auburn on February 25, he made only eight (34.8%) ... He had eight rebounds versus Auburn on February 4, and seven rebounds versus Arkansas on March 4 ... White committed eight turnovers in Ole Miss' SEC opener against Florida, in the 15 games since he's averaging only 1.9 per game ... He made over 50.0% of his shots in 18 games this year ... He dished out zero assists in Ole Miss' last game versus Mississippi State ... Versus UK earlier in the year, White scored 21 points on 7-15 shooting (38 threes), grabbed five rebounds, handed out seven assists and had two turnovers.

David Huertas: 6-5, 200 lb junior guard -- The Florida transfer is averaging 16.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game (2.5 turnovers). He making 37.7% of his shots, 30.4% of his three-point tries (35-115), and 78.3% of his free throws.

Huertas has a hurt foot and is listed as a game-time decision ... Baloney ... He'll play ... But, he played only 16 minutes versus Mississippi State in UM's last game ... He has only one steal in his last four games ... Over his last three games he's averaging only 12.0 points per game ... In his last two games he's made only seven of 19 shots (38.6%) ... In that same span he's made three of 12 trifecta attempts (25.0%) ... Versus UK earlier in the season, Huertas scored 21 points, making five of 15 shots (3-9 threes), corralled five rebounds and dished out four assists.

Zach Graham: 6-6, 225 lb sophomore guard -- Graham is averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He's shooting 38.8% from the field, 39.6% for behind the arc (19-48), and 73.8% from the charity stripe.

Graham is averaging 15.5 points over his last four games ... He's averaging taking nine free throws per game in that same span ... He's made six of his last 17 three-pointers in his last four games (35.3%) ... He's dished out eight dimes over the last two games ... In his first 24 games played this year he took double-digit shots only twice ... He's taken 10 or more shots in four of his last six games ... He's committed five turnovers twice in his last four games ... In their earlier meeting with UK, Graham scored 11 points on 3-9 shooting (3-6 threes), grabbed five rebounds, had two assists, one steal, and two turnovers.

Malcolm White: 6-9, 217 lb sophomore forward -- White is averaging 8.9 points, 6.6 rebounds (2.6 offensive rebounds), and 1.3 blocks per game. He's shooting 51.3% from the field, and 81.8% from the free throw line.

White scored 20 points (7-8 field goals) versus Mississippi State in UM's regular season finale ... Over his last 11 games he's 46-74 from the field (62.2%) ... He nabbed 18 rebounds versus Auburn on February 25, he also had six turnovers in that game ... He's recorded 17 offensive rebounds over his last four games (4.3 per game) ... He blocked five shots versus Georgia on February 21 ... White has 47 rebounds over his last five games (9.4 per game) ... In Ole Miss' first 18 games, White scored in double-digits only twice, in his last 12 games he's scored at least 10 points seven times ... He's made 14-16 free throws over his last five games (87.5%) ... He's dished out only three assists all year ... He's recorded two or more blocks in four of his last six games ... Versus UK, he had 20 points (8-12 field goals), grabbed six rebounds, had one steal and one block.

Murphy Holloway: 6-7, 227 lb freshman forward -- Holloway is averaging 8.9 points, and 7.4 rebounds per game (3.3 offensive rebounds). He's shooting 50.8% from the floor, and 52.3% from the free throw line.

In five of his last seven games Holloway has grabbed double-digit rebounds ... Over his last seven games he's averaging 9.4 rebounds per game ... In UM"s last game versus Mississippi State he gathered in 14 rebounds ... In three of his last seven games he's grabbed at least five offensive boards per game ... In a three game stretch versus LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia, he was 19-32 from the field (59.4%), in the four games since he's only 10-23 (43.5%) ... The freshman has played in all 30 Ole Miss games, and scored in every one of them ... He's scored in double-digits 14 times ... Against UK, he scored five points (2-6 field goals), grabbed six rebounds, had three assists, two steals, and one block.

UK vs. Ole Miss Statistical Comparison -- League Games Only (SEC Rank in Parenthesis)

Kentucky Ole Miss

Points Per Game -- 70.7 (9) 72.2 (8)

Field Goal% -- 45.5 (3) 42.9 (9)

Free Throw% -- 76.9 (1) 68.6 (7)

3-Point% -- 36.6 (3) 33.2 (8)

Rebound Margin -- +3.2 +4.9

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 11.1 (10) 13.8 (1)

Off. Rebound% -- 35.5 (4) 36.6 (2)

Def. Rebound% -- 66.0 (7) 68.5 (3)

Assists Per Game -- 13.6 (4) 11.6 (9)

Turnovers Per Game -- 17.0 (11) 13.7 (6)

Steals Per Game -- 6.6 (8) 4.8 (12)

Blocks Per Game -- 6.4 (1) 3.2 (9)

Rebel "Rousers"

Ole Miss is 1-3 in their last four games, and 4-6 in their last 10 ... In their last three games the Rebels are giving up 87.7 points per game ... In their last three games they've given up 32 made three-point baskets, and are allowing their opponents to shoot 38.6% from beyond the arc ... Ole Miss opponents have scored over 40 points in seven consecutive halves ... Over their last two games 68 free throws have been taken by their opponents ... Over their last four games their opponents are averaging 30.8 free throws per game ... The Rebels shot over 45.0% from the field only three times in SEC play ... Ole Miss conference opponents shot over 45.0% eight times ... In half of their SEC games, Ole Miss recorded single-digit assist totals ... Ole Miss is averaging 23.7 three-point attempts per game, over their last 11 games.

Omen, omens, looking for omens

UK is 13-0 versus Ole Miss in SEC Tournament games ... UK has played Mississippi on a neutral floor a total of 25 times, winning all but one game ... The lone UK loss to UM at a neutral site was in the 1928 Southern Conference Tournament ... Today's date, March 12, is the anniversary of the following UK triumphs -- March 12, 1966; Rupp's Runts defeated Michigan to gain a spot in the Final Four ... March 12 1993; UK annihilated Tennessee 101-40 in a first round SEC Tournament game, ending Allan Houston's college career ... March 12, 1995; UK defeated Arkansas 95-93 in overtime, coming back from 19 points down, to claim the SEC Tournament Championship.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Editors Note -- I refuse to do my normally brilliant? pre-game analysis until UK wins another game.

For a look at the complete boxscore of Ole Miss' 85-80 victory over UK earlier in the year, go here. Go here For Tru's Postmortem, or my post-game thoughts, "It's a 40 Minute Game."

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

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.

Ole Miss preview

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:00:07 -0000

MISSISSIPPI REBELS

Record: 7-3

All-Time Series: Ole Miss leads 2-0

Last Meeting: Ole Miss won 88-69 on Dec. 5, 1998

SEASON RESULTS

Beat Arkansas State (65-52)
Beat South Alabama (89-71)
LOST to Utah (83-72)
Beat Marshall (82-78)
Beat Central Florida (78-46)
Beat Morgan State (78-70)
LOST to West Virginia (80-78)
Beat New Orleans (78-65)
LOST to New Mexico (103-70)
Beat Alabama State (85-81)

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

G Chris Warren (19.8 ppg)
G David Huertas (21.0 ppg)
G Zach Graham (5.7 ppg)
F Malcolm White (3.9 ppg)
F Murphy Holloway (7.5 ppg)

Points of Emphasis

1. Chris Warren and David Huertas will be the two best guards U of L will have faced this season. Warren is the Rebels' most reliable all-around player, averaging just under 20 points, 2.4 steals and 4.0 assists to 2.5 turnovers. He can beat you off the dribble, he can beat you on the cut, and even though his three-point percentage is down from last season, he can beat you with the outside shot.

Huertas was a disappointment for most of last season before hitting his stride at the end of the year and averaging 19 points in Ole Miss' four March games. He's kept the momentum rolling in his junior season, leading the Rebels in scoring at 21 ppg, hitting 32-of-68 three-point attempts and scoring less than 20 points just three times.

Needless to say, tonight will be a huge test for the McGee/Sosa/Smith/Knowles quartet.

2. Ole Miss comes into tonight's game playing particularly poorly. They were inexplicably blown out by 33 at New Mexico on Saturday, and then narrowly avoided a disastrous defeat by holding off Alabama State 85-81 two days later.

3. The Rebels are not a good defensive team. They play strictly man-to-man, press occasionally, and are extremely susceptible to backcuts and leaving solid three-point shooters unchecked. They rank 252nd in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering 72 points per game, 172nd in field goal percentage defense and 133rd in three-point field goal percentage defense.

4. They're still adjusting to life without junior forward Eniel Polynice and guard Trevor Gaskins, who are both out for the season after having to undergo knee surgery. The loss of Polynice was an especially large blow for a team already thin in the frontcourt. Freshman Murphy Holloway is still a work in progress and sophomore Malcolm White has not made nearly as long a jump in his second season as Andy Kennedy was hoping. The result is a team that ranks 256th in the country in rebounding margin and has consistently been abused by talented opposing big men.

5. Ole Miss leads all Southeastern Conference teams and ranks 12th in the nation with a 77.5 free-throw percentage. The Rebels set a school-record with a 22-for-22 performance at the line against South Alabama and shot 93.8 percent (15-of-16) from the stripe against Morgan State. Warren ranks fourth in the SEC with his 86.9 percent free-throw shooting (53-of-61), while Huertas ranks seventh at 80.0 (48-of-60). Both players are also among the league’s leaders in free-throw attempts. Zach Graham has only missed one free throw in 20 attempts (95.0 percent), while Terrance Henry is hitting at an 81.8 percent clip (18-of-22).

6. The thing that makes me the most worried about tonight is that this is a team with serious talent whose major flaw has been prolonged stretches of apparent apathy. Inspiration likely won't be a problem playing against the No. 9 team in the country in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Louisville will get the best shot of a team with the potential to hang with just about anyone in the country, and it will come away from home, where the Cards weren't exactly stellar in their only other showing.

7. They're big men are erratic, but surprisingly good passers. Our guards can't take their eyes off of Huertas or Warren or they'll make a quick cut to the hoop or an open spot along the perimeter.

8. Samuels and Clark have to be more active than they have been at times over the last couple of weeks. U of L's size is the single greatest advantage present in this matchup, and the only people who can stop the Cardinal big men are the Cardinal big men.

9. Hold Warren and Huertas below 48 combined points and you win. That's a guarantee.

QUOTABLE

--"This is why you work so hard. This is why you come to an SEC school, to play a game such as this - national television, a big-time opponent, one of the most prestigious powerhouses in college basketball. I know I'm excited. I hope our guys are excited about it." --Andy Kennedy

--"Their guards are not going to take shots that you see on film where seven out of 10 of their shots are coming from this area or this play. That's just not the way it works for them. Mostly if you look at their assist total most of their plays come off one on one, so sometimes you can't plan or choreograph their defense to stop a certain play because these guys can put it on the bounce and create shots for themselves." --Rick Pitino

--"We're struggling. We're young. We make mistakes. When you're looking at 10 healthy guys on the roster and only four have played in a Division I basketball game before this year, realistically, it's just going to take some time. That's what we're facing." --Andy Kennedy

--"I think we break down sometimes, we relax a lot on defense. When we're off the ball we relax and then they get an open shot." --David Huertas

--"We wanted to schedule it, so going into (Big East play), our competition gets better and better. They've still got to go through the real road trips where 18,000 people despise the ground you walk on. That's when you start to get close when you play those road games." --Rick Pitino

--"I don't know what it is - but as a coach I can't infuse somebody with confidence. I can put them in a position where hopefully good things will happen and then ultimately hope it comes. Obviously, for us, we hope it comes sooner rather than later." --Andy Kennedy

Game Reading

Mississippi-Louisville preview (CBS)

Louisville bracing for quick two-game swing (AP)

Working to improve (Scout.com)

Can't Miss week (Tom Heiser)

Cards, we barely know ye (Card Game)

Ole Miss Game Notes

Visuals

The Rebels getting stomped by New Mexico:

Highlights from last year's Ole Miss/Tennessee game where Chris Warren dropped 24 in a two-point loss: