Speaking of getting your prep on in the previous post check out this magnificent find.  I'm sorry if Germans.  I don't really read the message boards.

The Official Dream Team Ent Presents "Ole Miss Rebel (Tennis Anthem)" by Xae P & D. Wood (via xavierpitt)

 

Yes, it is an Ole Miss tennis rap song.

After seeing Murphy Holloway, Deanundre Cranston and Chris Warren getting their prep on at the tennis match on Saturday, we at RCR were curious to how the team plans on spending its offseason.

Photos after the jump.

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The Ole Miss faithful may not be in attendance Saturday at the Tad Pad, but you can expect Andy Kennedy to have the Ole Miss Rebels focuses and prepared for their first SEC game of the season.

The game is going to feature two conflicting styles of basketball.  The Bulldogs are led by their frontcourt and defensive super star Jarvis Varnardo.  Ole Miss nationally heralded backcourt will look to defend its No. 14 ranking against the in-state rival.

Getting to know Mississippi State

Frontcourt

When you are talking about Mississippi State the first name that is going to be brought up is Jarvis Varnardo.  The senior is averaging a double double this season and has an obscene 74 blocks on the season, which is an average of 5.3 blocks per game.

Varnardo has also added to his defense with an improved offensive game averaging 14.3 a game, which is second best on the team.

Varnardo has gotten some help on the blocks this year from players like Kodi Augustus.  Augustus is averaging just under 10 points per game and is second on the team in rebounds.  If Augustus can spend less time bickering with Stansbury and just play his game he could become a very solid player for the Bulldogs. 

Here is what Augustus had to say about his coach after their loss to Rider:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/290171-msus-augustus-rips-coach-after-loss-to-rider

I know it is the Bleacher Report, but it was the first hit Google brought up and I didn't feel like finding a more legitimate source. 

Phil Turner is another frontcourt player to watch out for with the Bulldogs.  Turner averaged 5.9 a game and is their top player off the bench. 

Backcourt

The strength of the Mississippi State backcourt is with 6'7 Ravern Johnson.  Johnson is shooting 48% from three this season hitting an absurd 47-97 three pointers this season.  With his size and shooting prowess the Rebels are going to have to hope that it is just an off night for the guard.  Expect to see Graham and Polynice shadowing Johnson the entire game

 

Don't underestimate Dee Bost.  Bost can get streaky and really torch a team.  Bost is third on the team in three point shooting, but has been a great facilitator for Stansbury with 81 assists on the season.

Barry Stewart is another guy that the Rebels CANNOT leave open.  Last year in Oxford Stewart hit four threes and led the Bulldogs with 17 points.

Bench

The depth the Bulldogs do have on the bench is in the front court with Phil Turner and Romero Osby.  These two guys will help Varnardo and Augustus, and give them some time on the bench while the Rebels try to turn the game into a track meet.

Expect the Bulldog starting guards to play upwards of 30 minutes with Riley Benock getting a few minutes to relieve Bost and company.

Lish Trice, the Assistant to the Athletic Director, is making some waves in the Memphis community with his facebook updates.  It all started yesterday when he decided to update his Facebook from his iphone while enjoying a "salad n coffee" at Houston's.  Not sure who orders a salad and coffee at a place like Houston, or any restaurant.  

Here is his initial post:

"Lish Trice is at Houston's enjoyin a nice salad n coffee. Coach Larry Porter is coming thru west tn,south florida n the usa like a fire ball,look for some big committments this xmas babiii."

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Ole Miss receives commitment from 2011 prospect Tyler Poole

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RCR breaks down the draft and chances of the chosen Rebels coming back after the jump.

 

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I don't have much to say about the series, but here is a cool article written by a Missouri student who has been hanging out in the student section this weekend.

Link is here

Now, back to Swayze.

Well, the reason for good ole Calipari's decision to move to Lexington just became clearer.  While I'm sure a legitimate basketball conference (that he will have no problem winning), a program steeped in tradition and the input of Kige Ramsey closer to his fingertips contributed, there's another obvious answer to why Cal left Memphis.

The Commercial Appeal is reporting that Memphis is being investigated for major rules violations that occurred under Cal. 

If you're too lazy to click the link, the NCAA is accusing Memphis of having an "unknown individual" take the SAT for a player that played for Calipari during the 2007-2008 season.  The NCAA redacted the name of the mystery player Derrick Rose's name from the report.

I have a feeling this case has about as good of a chance as getting Memphis basketball in trouble as the Reggie Bush house scandal does in getting USC stripped of a national title.

 

 

I figured I needed to come out of retirement to show Devin Britton some love.  The freshman phenom just became the first Rebel to reach the finals of the NCAA singles tournament.  

Britton defeated Blake Strode (Arkansas) in straight sets today in straight sets after an impressive come from behind victory in the first set.  Down 5-3, Britton rallied to win the set 7-6(9) and then finished off Strode 6-4 to clinch his spot in the finals.

Britton is going to face tOSU's Steven Moneke in the championship match, which is set for 11:00 a.m. and can be watched via some link on olemisssports.com.  

The last time the Rebels faced a furreign sounding tOSUer it didn't end too well.  It still bothers me that he was selected 23rd overall in the draft, just like it bothers me that Chase Budinger may be a lottery selection.

And on an unrelated note, Nick Calathes decided to leave Florida and signed a contract with Panthawhateverkos.  Not that it really matters. Any (totally unreasonable) SEC Championship hopes we had were ruined when Kentucky signed Calipari.

And, by "it," we mean a hideous checkered jacket.

First there was Bobby Maze B-Amazed, then we were treated to the musical talents of swiperboy, and now we have the Rappin' Rabbi Bruce Pearl spitting his schtick.

"Yeah boiiiiiiiiiiiiyyyyeeeeeee."

Bruce Pearl Rapping (via JaiEugene)

 

Here's today's practice report.  If you're reading this now and not watching the Spartans getting pummeled by the Tarheels then, well, I can't so much blame you.

Everything you're looking for is after the jump.

 

 

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I meant to put this up earlier tonight, but I haven't been back to my humble abode since I left for campus at 9 AM after pulling a near all nighter.  So, I apologize for the late practice report, my unavoidable grammar and spelling mistakes.  And I also apologize to JUCO (ed: And Ghost, you lazy ass) for not playing my online dynasty game tonight (Pac 10 Champions!).

Anyways, here are some scattered observations from practice (ed: edited by Ghost, you bum):

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How much confidence do the Catamount players have in themselves? Enough to where one of them met up with some friends of the Cup and TOTGA to get dranked last night. I won't reveal his name/position, I thought about it, but the guy was actually pretty cool so I don't want to ruin his transfer hopes.

I didn't think I could see anything more comical on a baseball diamond than last night's attempted pick off at first base. In case you weren't there or too inebriated to remember (like most of my friends) the Catamounts attempted to pick off the runner on first, but there was one problem. No one was covering first base. So, the ball went on down the right field line and we got two free bases out of the deal. It was hilarious.

I'll go ahead and apologize in advance for yet another TOTGA post. So, Aaron Barrett is not that good. It started out poorly for AB and he never could his act together as the Catamounts touched him for four runs on seven hits in only three innnings. He can't expect to be successful when he can only throw fastballs over the plate. He either needs to fix his offspeed problem, but a better solution is Bianco removing him as the Friday starter.

Mississippi State is fresh off a senior night victory against Florida on Wednesday that has kept the NCAA Tournament hopes alive. While the Rebels only beat Arkansas, they did so in impressive fashion playing with seven players. The Rebels have a chance to play spoiler for State's NCAA Tournament hopes and improve their own post-season stock at the same time.

With a victory tomorrow, the Rebels will all but seal a spot in the NIT (huzzah!). A win also clinches a .500 finish in SEC play, a stat that has to look good to the NIT selection committee (It pains me to fein interest in this tournament). I just pray we do not demean ourselves and accept an invite to the College Basketball Invitational. Don't worry if you have never heard of that tournament, I didn't even want to acknowledge its existence. Its championship game last year consisted of the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes and the mighty Bradley Braves.

Keys to the game:

-David Huertas needs to perform. We made it through Arkansas without him, but that was Arkansas. He is telling people he is set to play Saturday and his MRI on Monday came back negative so there shouldn't be any surprises. Who knows what Huertas is going to show up?

-Terrico White. Nuff' said.

-Keep Varnado quiet. Varnado is nearly averaging a double-double on the season and is still the prolific shot blocker that he was a year ago. Malcolm and company need to attack JV early and often to limit his impact.

-Perimeter defense. MSU loves the three ball and it seems that teams love hitting their threes against Ole Miss.

Prediction:

I have the Rebels pulling this one out tomorrow. I think it will be a close game, but the Rebels hit some FTs down the end to win 74-69.

What's more atrocious than Aaron Barrett's curve ball, Vermont's defense and the idea of Sean Stuyverson returning to man third base?

How bad is Arkansas? Bad enough to be unable to beat an Ole Miss team coming off two disappointing losses with only seven scholarship players and three guards in the rotation. It is tough to say just how good of a job AK did here. Yeah, I know it was Arkansas. I know they are 2-13 in the SEC now. I know I said they were awful in my last post. But we just beat them in Arkansas, with seven players, and played 45 minutes of basketball.

If I have learned anything from this basketball season it has been to stand by your predictions. Before SEC play got under way I down played Arkansas' victories over OU and Texas, claimed Arkansas was simply playing above their heads and are in rebuilding mode. I let the Arkansas readers of the blog question my prediction and ended up giving the Hogs credit. Poor choice.

I'm going to start off by congratulating Andy Kennedy on one helluva coaching job so far this season. I know it is all anyone is saying lately, but it needs to be stated once more. The injuries are one thing, but getting a team as young as we are to believe in themselves shows how good this guy is. While I'm killing time before the USA game I figured I'd give my two cents on a couple of topics:

I'll be the first to admit when I am wrong and that is the case when it comes to Tennessee's season so far. The Volunteers are still doing alright and still have legitimate Tournament aspirations with their 16-8 record, 7-3 in the SEC.

It looks like Jackie Sherrill has decided to leave the suburbs of Memphis and venture to Alabama where he is going to be a head coach.

Yes, our old friend is now the head coach/general manager of the Alabama USFL team which is set to open the season in 2010. This was announced February 2nd so I am sure it is old news and I'll be bombarded with Germans, but it is news to me and I don't think we have had a post on it here.

I wonder if he is going to take Joe Lee Dunn, of Ridgeway High School fame, and current DC at New Mexico State with him to the big show. What a coaching staff that would be!

(insert probation joke)

Terrance Henry made a three?

Signing day is less than a month away and the class is running out of spots, but there are plenty of top rated prospects that are showing interest.

One thing that is different from this staff than the last staff is this new term of having a "committable offer." With Orgeron, nearly every player in the nation possessed an offer from Ole Miss, but this staff has been more selective and apparently delineates offers and committable offers. Even the pay sites seem to be confused on who the actual commits are right now.

Rivals, Scout, and Scout Inc, all list 24 commits, but the lists vary on who those 24 commits actually are. Rivals maintains that Stephen Houston is committed to the Rebels, while omitting the Scout commits of Markell Lee and Eric Smiley. While Scout is claiming that these two have committed, they are not listing Stephen Houston as a commit. The third recruiting site, Inside The Grove, agrees with Scout on Markell Lee, but has not confirmed the Eric Smiley commit yet, but has placed Stephen Houston on their commit list.

If you followed any of that (probably not*) it just goes to show how fluid the commit list will be from now until signing day.

As I said earlier, we have a pretty full class and are bringing in plenty of people on official visits over the remainder of January. This means you can expect some of our current to commits to drop Ole Miss or be dropped themselves. I think the best candidates for switching commits/being dropped are Gabriel Hunter, Aaron Schulte, Terrell Grant and Stephen Houston.

Here is the breakdown of the commits and prospects by position

QB

Commits:

None

Prospects:

Raymond Cotton - Cotton is a four star QB from Meade, Maryland that actually spent some time growing up in Kosciusko, MS. Cotton is a former Auburn commit and is a dual threat quarterback. What I like about Cotton is his ability to stand tall and deliver the ball in the pocket. While he is adept at running the ball his video shows that he does not panic and use his legs too early. I believe that this is a two horse race with Auburn and Ole Miss fighting for him.

A.J. Mccarron - We are not getting him.

HB:

Commits:

Gabriel Hunter - I don't expect him to wind up at Ole Miss. Hunter is a phenomenal athlete who compiled 1,200 yard rushing in five games for Kingsbury, but he went against Ole Miss's wishes and returned from a knee injury this season which further messed up his knee. Given the HBs already committed to the Rebels, Hunter is not as desirable as he was at the time of his commitment. I expect him to sign with Oklahoma State.

Rodney Scott - The four star speedster from Florida appears to be the Rebels best RB commitment of the class. Scott shows great field vision and lightning quick speed. He has a fairly long highlight video on Youtube that you can watch here. I really like his lateral quickness and ability to turn the ball up field quickly. He will be a good balance to the power of Bolden and Davis with his shifty style of running.

Prospects:

Kendrick Hardy - Hardy is one of the top players in the state of Mississippi this season. I haven't seen him play before, but I'm worried that he has not had much interest outside of the three in-state programs. He is the Rebels if they want him.

WR:

Commits:

Terrell Grant - Grant garnered a scholarship after posting the best 40 time at the Ole Miss camp this summer. Despite his speed, the staff may deem him expendable if they end up landing Pat Patterson or if the staff decides to take on Lamar Scruggs in addition to Patterson (yes, I am ignoring the Marlon Brown speculation for a reason).

Montez Phillips - I don't know what to think about Montez. He has switched allegiances a couple of times but appears to be sold on the Rebels now. The local product played quarterback at Lafayette but is going to get his shot in the SEC at wide receiver. Montez has the best quote so far through the recruiting process. "I might take a visit to Southern Miss, but basically like everyone else I'm just taking a visit to get out of school." At least he is honest.

Prospects:

Pat Patterson - Patterson is one of the top uncommitted prospects left on the Rebels board and in the nation. The four star is a physical receiver who can beat you with his speed or strength and is reportedly an Ole Miss lean. Alabama and Mississippi State are still on the radar, but most people believe that if Patterson does not commit to Alabama this weekend he will be signing with the Rebels in February.

Lamar Scruggs - Scruggs is another four star wide receiver that has the Rebels near the top of his list. For Scruggs, it has come down to Ole Miss and South Carolina. If Patterson commits I am not sure what the status of Scruggs recruitment will be. If Patterson goes to Alabama I'd expect Scruggs to sigh with the Rebs.

Marlon Brown - A late addition to the prospect board is Marlon Brown. Brown is the second best receiver in the nation on most sites and recently replaced his LSU visit with a trip to Oxford. While this is all well and good people probably should not get their hopes up about this player signing with the Rebels.

TE:

Commits:

Thad McHaney - McHaney, who is being recruited by Kent Austin, is listed as a tight end, but he could see time on the other side of the ball lining up at defensive end. He boasts an impressive offer list as well.

Prospects:

Zaccheus Mason - Mason is better known in recruiting circles as a basketball standout having only played football for two years. But the 6'6" tight end is picking up interest on the gridiron. This will be a big pickup for the Rebels because it would allow them to move one of McHaney or Ferbia Allen to the defensive side of the ball to solidify the depth at the end positions.

OL:

Commits:

Logan Clair - Clair is an early signee and will partake in spring practice this year. Clair can expect to be pushed early because the Rebels need him to add depth to their line.

Emmanuel McCray - McCray has been a longtime commit for the Rebels and has remained committed despite strong pushes from Mississippi State. He is my favorite of the offensive line signees, for no real reason though because I have no idea how to scout offensive linemen.

Michael Brown - Brown wins the award for tallest signee at 6'6" and given how much he weighs will probably end up at one of the guard positions.

Aaron Schulte - I've read on the various message boards I frequent that we are going to drop him.

Prospects:

Bobbie Massie - Massie is our number one recruit. Massie is also Georgia and Alabama's number one recruit. That should give you a decent idea of the uphill battle the Rebels have to land his signature on signing day. Massie is easily the biggest game change left on the board and would ease the concerns I have regarding our offensive line next season. Undoubtedly, he would start as a freshman at left tackle.

John Sullen - Sullen is a three star prospect out of Auburn who is just now getting some interest from major players. If Massie is a no go, Sullen will be our top priority.

DE:

Commits:

Cameron Whigham - I don't know much about this guy, if anything really. He has offers from Ole Miss and Central Florida. Oh, yes. This is the player Yancy Porter described as a "rich man's Marcus Tillman with Greg Hardy speed and Marcus Tillman's strength." That's quite the statement, Yancy.

Mike Thomas - Thomas was a nice pick up for the Rebels out of the Tide stronghold of Mobile. Thomas has good size but may end up on the offensive line.

Markell Lee - They are signing and placing him.

Prospects:

Victor Gray - Gray has it down to Ole Miss and UCF, distance being the factor for UCF's involvement. He remains a high priority for the Rebels and could be the final DE added to this class if he commits soon enough.

Alex Williams - Williams is the brother of former Arkansas WR Boo Williams who played under Nutt. His brother is apparently pushing him towards Ole Miss, but the final decision will come down to Arkansas and the Rebels.

DT:

Prospects/Commitments:

Eric Smiley - Smiley is the Rebels only commit, maybe, at defensive tackle. Smiley is large and has a ridiculous 40 time for a player his size. Even though the offer list may not reflect it, this is a great pick up for the Rebels and hopefully he is able to make it to campus.

Corey Gaines - Gaines is only listed as a two star, but was an Army All-American and has an impressive offer list. Reports have it down to Ole Miss and Arkansas and he visits the Rebels on the the 23rd.

LB:

Commits:

DeMarcus Knight - Knight has been committed since April and apparently is still set on joining the Rebels. He projects as MLB and has a pretty good video.

Tim Simon - Simon played both RB and LB in high school and has been told by the coaches that he will be given a look at RB. However, given the players we already have committed at RB and the need for more depth at LB Simon will be playing defense for the Rebels.

Prospects:

Willie Ferrell - He is the cousin of our recruiting coordinator, Chris Vaughn, and it appears to be between Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Mike Marry - Marry's name has been thrown around for awhile now and it appears he'll decide between the Rebels and South Florida.

Joel Kight - He may be a little undersized for the position, but that hasn't stopped coaches from recruiting him. The Rebels appear to have his last visit so that may be good news. I am sure Nutt is using Olijabutu as a reference every time he talks to this kid.

D.T. Shackelford - He claims he is committed to Tennessee, but he is really wide open at this point. I really like the potential of Shackelford and would love for him to be part of this class.

Shane Gordon - Gordon's name resurfaced after the Cotton Bowl and he has now scheduled an official visit for the 23rd.

CB:

Commits:

Demond Washington - Hooray, another JUCO All-American. Seriously though, he looks really impressive at corner and will be in the rotation in the fall. May get a look at RB and will probably take Mike Wallace's place returning kicks.

Charles Sawyer - I haven't seen any video on Sawyer, but I hear good things. I like his offer list and stats so I approve of this commit, because that matters and all.

Ryan Campbell - Like Sawyer, I really don't know much about Campbell. He has good size though, something we did not have at corner this season.

Prospects:

Ricardo Dixon - The Rebels really want the South Florida commit and for good reason. He has very good speed and is a physical corner. Right now, Dixon claims it is 50/50 between the Rebels and South Florida, he is having to decide between proximity to home and the chance to play in the SEC.

Marcus Berg - Maybe it is because of his grades, but I don't see why we are recruiting Berg. He holds offers from Memphis and Bethune Cookman. He looks like a physical corner, but I would prefer we did not take him.

Safety:

Commits (we have enough to not recruit any next year)

Dele Junaid - Junaid is not highly rated by Scout or Rivals, but ESPN has him as one of our top commits. i watched him play in the state title game in Texas and was impressed with his abilities. He is a ballhawk. I could actually see him at LB in college.

Jamar Hornsby - Everyone knows he has a checkered past, but from a football standpoint the Rebels got a good player. He can play either safety position, Nix makes his safeties learn both positions anyways, and can fly to the ball.

Artice Kellam - Artice had a good end to his season after back injuries hindered him during the season. His teammate is also joining the Rebels.

Frank Crawford - Crawford was a hot commodity before a season ending knee injury, but the Rebels remained in contact and will probably get his signature on signing day.

Ath:

Commits:

Stephen Houston - Scout doesn't list him as a commit, but the word is that Houston was one of this staff's top athletes on the board. I watched the video they have of him on Rivals and couldn't really figure out why. He was a running back in high school and I don't have the slightest idea what the plans are for him at Ole Miss. I do not think he signs with Ole Miss.

Korvic Neat - Meet the next Dexter McCluster. Neat is lightning quick and very fast. He will probably take a redshirt year his first season and then fill the void left behind by McCluster.

Special Teams:

Commits:

Tyler Campbell - He can punt the ball far.

Andrew Ritter - He is white and from the Jackson area so the Spirit board loves him!!!!!! He can also kick the crap out of a football.

*Because of my writing

**JUCO can correct me on everything I got wrong.

First link is from a CNNSI article by Stewart Mandel that takes out some quotes from Brandon Spikes interview with the media where he calls out the Big 12, USC and gives Ole Miss a shout out. While the quotes from Spikes are great, check out the comment section. Maybe it is because I only read about SEC football and don't venture over to Big XII message boards, but there are seriously delusional fans on the other side of the Mississippi.

SEC Basketball season is just around the corner and while the REbels may not be much of a factor I still have to blog about it. So far the season has been pretty much what I have expected, poor. It's never going to be easy for a conference to rebound when so many teams lost influential players. The Chris Loftons, Richard Hendrixes and Cavemen of the SEC have left and a host of new players are being counted on to compete and they just don't seem to be ready yet. The SEC is a year or two away from being back to par in basketball competitiveness.

From a conference viewpoint it is pretty evident who the leading team is, but after Tennessee the pecking order gets a little hazy. Here is The One That Got Away's expert ill informed Power Ranking and Team Overviews for the 2009 SEC season.

1. Tennessee

The SEC's best from last season will start the season atop of the SEC power rankings. The Vols do have three losses and teams like Arkansas, LSU and Florida have better records, but looking at strength of schedule you have to believe the Vols are the team to beat in the SEC. The Vols fell victim to the Zags and KU in Lawrence, a game played without big man Wayne Chism, so do not write off the Vols because of their record. JaJuan Smith and Lofton are huge blows to this team's three point prowess and leadership but the return of Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism and the addition of some stout freshmen have the Vols in a good position for a run during SEC play.

Signature Win: Georgetown

Notable Loss: Gonzaga

2. Arkansas (EDIT)

I was wrong about these guys it appears. With wins over Texas and OU (haha Big 12) these guys deserve the number two, if not the number one ranking. I'll stick to what I said earlier about OU being a one man show and that they will be exposed more in conference play, but I'll give Arkansas credit where credit is due. They've exceeded what I thought they would do this season, I had them pinned in the SEC cellar with Georgia before the start of the season. With the indefinite suspension of Beverly and losing the twin Neanderthals, Townes and Hill, to graduation I figured the Hogs were in full rebuilding mode. Michael Washington and Courtney Fortson have been able to prove me wrong though. Watch out for Washington this season by the way, he is coming off some strong performances and had a disgusting dunk in the Texas game to seal the victory for the Hogs.

3. Florida

I am not sold on the Gators and was tempted to put Kentucky ahead of them. the loss of Speights is going to hurt them. While Calathes ia a great player, I don't think him and his supporting cast is enough for the Gators to make a splash on the national scene. While the Gators may post a pretty strong conference record don't let it fool you in March. Other than Calthes and Tyus no one the Gator roster stands out to me. Dan Werner's ability to stretch the floor as a big is nice, but with the influx of athletic 4/5s in the SEC he should not be as effective. Walter Hodge is also a solid player, but I don't see enough talent on htis team be a threat outside of the SEC.

4. Maybe I am just too big of a cynic but I was not sure why LSU got so much preseason love after their horrible year last season, and losing Anthony Randolph to the NBA draft. Marcus Thornton and the return of Tasmin Mitchell have been the story behind the Tiger's success. LSU has a pretty good starting five but I think their bench could be their major flaw during conference play.

Signature Win: Washington State (ehh)

Notable Loss: Texas A&M

5. Kentucky Wildcats

If you haven't been able to tell I'm not much for out of conference records. They're misleading. Kentucky is 11-4 on the season but is a much better basketball team than their record. Their losses have been to respectable teams too (UNC, Miami, VMI and a three point loss to UL). Vandy and South Carolina can post arguments to be ranked ahead of the Billy Gillespie experience but judging the three teams on potential and talent I have to give Kentucky the nod. Jodie Meeks has stepped up his game is in the tops in the SEC in scoring and Pat Patterson is playing like everyone expected. The wild card for this team during conference play is going to be the performance of freshman Deandre Liggins. I struggled with where to place Kentucky, I thought about going as high as three, but I think 5 will be good for right now. They probably will be the quickest to rise in the power rankings though if they start out the SEC schedule well, Billy Gillespie held me back from putting them higher.

Signature Win: West Virginia

Notable Loss: North Carolina

6. Vanderbilt Commodores

A.J. Ogilvy leads the 'Dores into the bottom spot in the top half of the SEC power rankings. The loss of Shan Foster really takes away from the 'Dores versatility. The inside-out game with him and Ogilvy was often worked to perfection and it is going to be hard for them to replace that. Shan was their go to guy last year and had one of the best shooting touches I have seen in awhile. They also lost their back up point guard Keegan Bell to a transfer. Still, Vandy can make a run in the SEC behind Jermain Beal and Ogilvy.

Signature Win: UMass

Notable Loss: Illinois

Thanks to Inside The Grove, a pretty awesome new recruiting site, for this video of Reggie Buckner. Kudos to Chase and Ty for putting out something other than rehashed interviews with football commits.

I know it has been rumored for awhile now, but it appears official that the Hurricane known as the Orgeron shall be coming in on a swamp boat nearest you to Baton Rouge.

The Shrimp Captain's longtime friend, Bob Hebert, reported that he would be shocked if the Incredible Hulk did not take the job. Unfortunately, Bob's son T-Bob did not have a comment in the article.

Another interesting bit of tid is that St. Ed is set to make only 200,000 less than his salary here in Oxford and Hebert thinks LSU will pay him in the 600,000 range because they want to take care of him like only JoJo knows how.

Recruiting is not a problem at LSU and I think The Ogre is honestly overrated as a defensive line coach. I do not understand this hire or Chavis. Go ask Tennessee fans what they think of Chavis. I think Chavis may have one of the worst third and long efficiency ratings in the SEC.

Miles could be going the way of Larry Coker soon.

I cannot watch much more of this garbage. I do not even want to call it basketball.

We have injuries. We are young. There is turmoil with the AK and the injuries have deflated team.

These arguments are valid but I do not care about them. The watchability meter for this game hovered somewhere around the Vanderbilt game or Deal or No Deal. There was no passion in this game, at least in what I watched. The play that sticks in my mind is when USM scored on an easy fast break created by no one getting back and Huertas loafing around in the paint allowing his man to beat him to the hoop for an easy basket. Story of the game.

Rebounding? Reality check here after the FAMU game, I hope no one got too optimistic after that game by the way. This stat actually was the reason I turned the game off and subjected myself to an NBA game: USM - 15 Ole Miss - 5. That was the rebounding mark in the second half with about 10 minutes left to play.

Cannot wait for SEC play! And I'm ready for Dallas.

P.S. I know I sound like one of the Woe is me fans and jumping off the bandwagon people. It has been a long week.