GETTING INSIDE
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to learn that senior point guard Chris Warren would be the catalyst for Ole Miss’ basketball season.
But if Warren is the only catalyst, smart defenses could key on him and shut him down. So consider coach Andy Kennedy pleased that in November, he’s found other players who can score and take over, too.
From Trevor Gaskins’ career-high 24 points in a win over Penn State, to Indiana transfer Nick Williams’ explosiveness on the perimeter, to forward Terrance Henry in the post, the Rebels appear to be a team that isn’t just one man.
And that bodes well especially for Southeastern Conference play, where stellar records and national rankings have been known to die in recent years for Ole Miss.
In the meantime, look for Ole Miss to rely on a number of players in an underrated pre-conference stretch. UM is 3-1 with a loss to Dayton but still has games upcoming against Miami on the road, Southern Miss at home and Arkansas-Little Rock on the road.
“We scheduled pretty aggressively,” Kennedy said.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Coach Andy Kennedy has seen plenty of attrition in recent years among his top players—Eniel Polynice to Seton Hall, Murphy Holloway to South Carolina and Malcolm White to LSU. And star guard Terrico White left after two seasons to the NBA.
• Through its win over Penn State on Nov. 26, Ole Miss is 40-2 against non-conference teams in Tad Smith Coliseum.
Keep An Eye On: Wing player Nick Williams has provided a spark for Ole Miss on the court after sitting out a year following his transfer from Indiana. But Williams’ main value is off of it. Kennedy said Williams has been like a second coach at times in practices, and that includes last season, when he had to sit out.
Strengths: Ole Miss knows that its guard play is its strength, one that it’ll play to. From Chris Warren to Zach Graham to Trevor Gaskins to Nick Williams, the backcourt is a strong one. Warren and Graham provide senior leadership. And pretty much everyone there has the ability to catch fire from the 3-point line.
Weaknesses: The paint continues to be a concern for coach Andy Kennedy, who joked after one early-season game that he’s “got a whole pad here full of plays” to run inside, but he continues to play to the strength of the team, which is perimeter shooting. Terrance Henry has the potential to be a top post player but he has to work on fouling. Reginald Buckner, if healthy, provides some help down low. So does freshman Demarco Cox.
Quote To Note: “We wanted to do that because we wanted to get a gauge for our team. I think we know now more through this four a lot more about our group.”—Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy on some tough early-season scheduling.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Recruiting Returns: The Rebels struck out on a pair of top targets in the early signing period—guard Ky Madden of Lepanto, Ark., and center Johnny O’Bryant of Cleveland, Miss. So they’re hoping that they have a pair of sleepers in Aaron Jones, a forward from Gautier, Miss., and Jarvis Summers, a guard from Jackson. LaDarius White, a guard from McComb, was a high-profile pickup within the state. Jamal Jones, a forward from Searcy, Ark., rounded out the signing class.
December Outlook: For Ole Miss, the old adage is in play: Just win, baby. The Rebels need to pack as many of these wins in as they can before conference play starts, but it won’t be as easy as it looks. Sure, games against Mississippi Valley State and Alcorn State look tame, but home games against Southern Miss and East Tennessee State aren’t as simple as they appear. On the road, Ole Miss must visit Arkansas-Little Rock. And just before Christmas, the Rebels appear in a Cancun tournament that is winnable. Look for the Rebels to also continue to find more options than just Warren and to work on the inside game more, too.
Roster Report:
• Guard Chris Warren is on the 50-player preseason watch list for the Naismith Award.
• Sophomore forward Reginald Buckner suffered a knee injury against Dayton and his absence was quickly felt. The Rebels lost a big lead and, eventually, the game. Buckner’s health will be a big key for the Rebels going forward.
• Two freshmen figure to get big minutes for Ole Miss this year: Guard Dundrecous Nelson and forward Demarco Cox. Both grew up near the state capital of Jackson.

Message board

Good luck, they have several. Not a whole lot to any of them.

This obviously would be a huge win for us. Not nearly as big a game for them, and that is always a help. Let’s hope the crowd is big, and if not big, then very vocal. They have a string of games that should not be too difficult coming after us. Let’s hope they have already kicked their game into neutral.

They are 4-2, with wins over Murray State and Penn State that were decent. They have played only one road game, and lost that to Miami by 13.

They likely will start a front line of 6-10, 6-9, 6-6. Looks like a 9 man rotation, but their top five players all play at least 26 minutes/game. They have four players averaging double figures, so they can put up points. They do NOT shoot (31.6%) nor defend (38.2%) the 3 very well, and if we win, that probably will be where we do it. Their interior defense is pretty good.

We do not want to get into a FT shooting contest with them, because they shoot 76% as a team, and their top three scorers all shoot 90% or more. They are minus 1 for the year rebounding, but have a positive ATO.

(12-10-2010 05:00 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  This obviously would be a huge win for us. Not nearly as big a game for them, and that is always a help. Let’s hope the crowd is big, and if not big, then very vocal. They have a string of games that should not be too difficult coming after us. Let’s hope they have already kicked their game into neutral.

They are 4-2, with wins over Murray State and Penn State that were decent. They have played only one road game, and lost that to Miami by 13.

They likely will start a front line of 6-10, 6-9, 6-6. Looks like a 9 man rotation, but their top five players all play at least 26 minutes/game. They have four players averaging double figures, so they can put up points. They do NOT shoot (31.6%) nor defend (38.2%) the 3 very well, and if we win, that probably will be where we do it. Their interior defense is pretty good.

We do not want to get into a FT shooting contest with them, because they shoot 76% as a team, and their top three scorers all shoot 90% or more. They are minus 1 for the year rebounding, but have a positive ATO.

We can get into a shooting contest with them if Solo and Matt are shooting all our free throws.

(12-10-2010 05:26 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  

(12-10-2010 05:00 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  This obviously would be a huge win for us. Not nearly as big a game for them, and that is always a help. Let’s hope the crowd is big, and if not big, then very vocal. They have a string of games that should not be too difficult coming after us. Let’s hope they have already kicked their game into neutral.

They are 4-2, with wins over Murray State and Penn State that were decent. They have played only one road game, and lost that to Miami by 13.

They likely will start a front line of 6-10, 6-9, 6-6. Looks like a 9 man rotation, but their top five players all play at least 26 minutes/game. They have four players averaging double figures, so they can put up points. They do NOT shoot (31.6%) nor defend (38.2%) the 3 very well, and if we win, that probably will be where we do it. Their interior defense is pretty good.

We do not want to get into a FT shooting contest with them, because they shoot 76% as a team, and their top three scorers all shoot 90% or more. They are minus 1 for the year rebounding, but have a positive ATO.

We can get into a shooting contest with them if Solo and Matt are shooting all our free throws.

Guys riding the pine, usually don't get very many free throw attempts.

We can win if the refs are calling fouls on them equal to us and we can score enough field goals to keep the press on.

(12-10-2010 07:15 PM)insideualr Wrote:  We can win if the refs are calling fouls on them equal to us and we can score enough field goals to keep the press on.

It's even simplier than that D1, we can win if we score more points than Ole Miss, or they score less than we do. As far as the fouls go, Trojan fans can't say we got screwed by the officials the last two games. Ray Tucker might say that. He's never seen a legitimate foul called on a Trojan.

We are at home but SEC teams bring their own refs most time to game like this.

(12-10-2010 07:30 PM)insideualr Wrote:  We are at home but SEC teams bring their own refs most time to game like this.

Great. I can hear it now.

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(12-10-2010 07:38 PM)Scotto Wrote:  

(12-10-2010 07:30 PM)insideualr Wrote:  We are at home but SEC teams bring their own refs most time to game like this.

Great. I can hear it now.

A built in excuse if we lose. Ole Miss brought in SEC officials. I can hear Ray Tucker now. And some of our fans.

I will bet that we have a SEC crew today.

(12-11-2010 08:06 AM)insideualr Wrote:  I will bet that we have a SEC crew today.

My confidence level is going down the more I read about Ole Miss, just like last week against Tulsa. I'm sure I'll also have the same reaction in the pregame- they'll be much bigger and much more athletic- and I'll think how can we play with these guys. We may even fall behind early. However, our guys will fight, scramble, and claw to make a game of it and hopefully, pull it out in the end.

(12-11-2010 09:54 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(12-11-2010 08:06 AM)insideualr Wrote:  I will bet that we have a SEC crew today.

My confidence level is going down the more I read about Ole Miss, just like last week against Tulsa. I'm sure I'll also have the same reaction in the pregame- they'll be much bigger and much more athletic- and I'll think how can we play with these guys. We may even fall behind early. However, our guys will fight, scramble, and claw to make a game of it and hopefully, pull it out in the end.

One thing we can be sure of. Our kids won't quit. They'll battle until the final horn.