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Ole Miss Heads To MSU For Rivalry Game
Feb. 28, 2013
The Last Meeting
February 6, 2013
Oxford, Miss.
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013 TIP OFF • Ole Miss continues its drive to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday when the Rebels' travel to Starkville to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs. OLE MISS TRAVELS TO MISSISSIPPI STATE Ole Miss continues its drive to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday when the Rebels travel to Starkville to face Mississippi State. Ole Miss started SEC play 6-0 for the first time in school history this year. At 21-7, the Rebels are also off to the best start after 28 games since the `0-01 season. A win on Saturday would give the Rebels 11 SEC victories this season, tied for second-most in school history. REBELS WIN 20 ... AGAIN The Rebels have notched 20 wins for the sixth time in seven seasons under Andy Kennedy. Ole Miss had seven 20-win campaigns in the 96 seasons prior to Kennedy's arrival in Oxford. He is the fifth coach in SEC history to guide his teams to 20+ wins in six of his first seven seasons in the league. The others: Dan DeVoe (Tennessee), Joe. B. Hall (Kentucky), Rick Pitino (Kentucky), Tubby Smith (Georgia/Kentucky). Kennedy is also the first coach in Ole Miss history to win 20 games in four-straight season and senior F Reginald Buckner is the first Rebel to win 20 games each of his four seasons in Oxford. HOLLOWAY IS MASTER OF THE GLASS In his final season in Oxford, F Murphy Holloway has become Ole Miss' all-time rebounding leader with1,007 career boards. With nine boards against Kentucky, Holloway passed Walter Actwood's career total of 945 rebound for first place on the Rebel rebound list. Holloway is the SEC active career leader in rebounds and double-doubles, ranks second in steals and third in points. He ranks second in the conference and 33rd in the nation in rebounding at 9.4 rpg. Holloway became only the 23rd player in SEC history to score at least 1,250 points and pull down 1,000 boards in their career, a list that includes Shaquille O'Neal, Dan Issell, Bob Pettit and Bernand King. With 24 more steals, Holloway would become the first player in SEC history with 1,300 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 steals in a career. HENDERSON HOT SHOOTER Junior G Marshall Henderson was known as a scorer when coach Andy Kennedy signed the guard out of South Plains Junior College, and the Hurst, Texas native has definitely lived up to that billing so far this season, as he is averaging a team-best 19.6 ppg. He leads the SEC and ranks third in the nation in 3-pointers made (4.0 pg) and leads the conference in scoring. The 49 points Henderson scored in his first two games is the most by a Rebel to start his career since "World Class" Gerald Glass scored 59 points in 1988. Against Indiana State, he posted 27 points on 7-of-16 from 3-point, which is just one 3-pointer shy of the school record and is tied for third all time. Henderson scored a career-high 32 points in the SEC opener at Tennessee, which is the most points scored by a Rebel in their first league game since Ole Miss great Johnny Neumann scored 39 versus Auburn in 1970. Henderson earned SEC Player of the Week honors after averaging 21.0 ppg in a pair of wins at Vanderbilt and against Arkansas. Against the Commodores, he scored a game-high 26 points, including a 35-foot buzzer beater that sent the game into overtime. Versus the Vols, Henderson scored a career-high 24 second half points to spur a Rebel rally and help Ole Miss knock off Tennessee at home. On the road at No. 4 Florida, he scored a game-high 25 points, including hitting on 7-of-11 shots from behind the arc. Against Mississippi State the junior posted 31 points, on 6-of-14 from three, and dished out four assists. He scored 25 points, including 14 in the final 3:36 of regulation to force overtime, in the Rebels' come-from-behind win against Georgia. Henderson was a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line, which is the second-best mark in school history behind Denver Brackeen's record of 15-of-15 in 1955. He tied the school record for 3-pointers in a game after hitting 8-of-12 attempts and scoring 28 points versus Auburn. REBELS AMONG NATION'S BEST Ole Miss rates highly in the latest NCAA national stats (games through Feb. 25), as the Rebels rank sixth in the nation in scoring (79.1 ppg), 10th in turnover margin (+4.1), 16th in block shots (5.4 pg), 19th in scoring margin (+12.0), 25th in 3-point FG percentage defense (30.1%), 36th in turnovers (11.5 pg), and 43rd in steals (8.3 pg). DOUBLE TROUBLE Rebel big men Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner have been impressive for Ole Miss in the paint during their careers. Holloway leads all active SEC players, and ranks seventh in the nation, with 36 career double-doubles and ranks third in the league and 23rd in the nation this year with 11 double-doubles. Buckner is second to Holloway among active SEC players with 16 career double-doubles and is fifth in the conference this year with eight double-doubles. The duo's combined 1,831 career rebounds is second best among active players in the nation and 52 combined double-doubles ranks first among active players in the SEC and third in the nation. Ole Miss is 9-2 this season when Holloway records a double-double and 6-2 this year when Buckner pulls off the feat. HENDERSON TOPS 3-POINTER CHART In just over half a year in Oxford, junior G Marshall Henderson has already climbed to the top of the 3-pointer season charts, as he currently ranks first on the Ole Miss single-season list for 3-point field goal attempts (302) and is tied with Chris Warren for first in 3-pointers made (111). Henderson ranks third SEC history for attempts in one season and is tied for 10th on the SEC season-single list for 3-point field goals. The junior has hit a 3-pointer in every game this season. OLE MISS-MSU SERIES The Bulldogs are Ole Miss' most-played opponent, as Saturday's game will be the 247th meeting between the in-state rivals, which is also the SEC's most-played rivalry. Mississippi State holds a 139-107 lead in the series, which began in 1914, and a 91-24 advantage in Starkville. The Rebel have won two of the last three matchups against the Bulldogs, but are seeking their first win in Starkville since 2009. Ole Miss took the previous meeting 93-75 earlier this season in Oxford and are looking for its first season sweep of the Bulldogs since 1998. Andy Kennedy is 5-8 against MSU in his career. MAGNOLIA STATE RIVALRY Some of the top basketball talent from the state of Mississippi will be on display when the Rebels and Bulldogs meet. Four Rebels and four Bulldogs are playing college ball in their home state. Many of them were teammates and rivals in high school and on the AAU circuit. Ole Miss players from the Magnolia State are Demarco Cox (Yazoo City), Aaron Jones (Gautier), Jarvis Summers (Jackson) and LaDarius White (McComb). From the MSU side are Tyson Cunningham (Columbus), Baxter Price (Brandon), Fred Thomas (Jackson) and Gavin Ware (Starkville). RPI WATCH Ole Miss checks in at No. 55 in the ever-present Ratings Percentage Index (CBSSports.com). Mississippi State enters Saturday's showdown with an RPI ranked No. 239 in the nation. The Rebels are 5-6 this season against RPI top-100 teams, including a pair of wins over Tennessee, who has won an SEC-best six straight games. TURNOVERS THE KEY Ole Miss is 15-0 this season when the Rebels force 15-plus turnovers and just 6-7 when they force fewer than 15. The Rebels are 19-3 this season when they have the same or less TOs than opponent and 2-4 when turning the ball over more than their opponent. SUMMERS SHINES IN SEC PLAY Sophomore PG Jarvis Summers has shined in league play averaging 10.5 ppg in SEC games this season after averaging 7.1 ppg in non-conference action. Summers ranks fourth in the conference in assists in league games dishing out 4.0/game and third in assist/turnover ratio at 2.1. WE MUST PROTECT THIS BALL Sophomore point guard Jarvis Summers has done a particularly great job of limiting turnovers this season, as he ranks second in the SEC and ranks 19th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 2.8. Summers has only committed 39 turnovers on the season compared to 108 assists. LOCK-DOWN DEFENSE Ole Miss has been particularity stingy on defense this season as the Rebels rank fourth in the league and 25th nation in 3-point percentage defense (30.6 %). The Rebels rank second in the league and 16th in the nation in blocks (5.4 bpg), fourth in the SEC and 43rd in the NCAA steals (8.4 spg). Ole Miss has forced 439 turnovers this season and are second in the league forcing an average of 15.7 turnovers per game, and currently ranks second in the SEC and 10th in the nation in turnover margin at +4.2. BUCKNER MOVES UP IN SEC CAREER BLOCKS LIST Senior F Reginald Buckner became the Rebels' all-time career leader in blocked shots last year. In just 124 games, the Memphis native has now accumulated 305 blocks, and moved passed Robert Horry, of Alabama, into sixth place in SEC history. The school record was previously held by Sean Murphy, who had 180 blocks in 117 games from 1988-91. Buckner's 2.8 average this season ranks second among SEC players and 17th in the nation. He now holds the school record for blocks in a career, season and game. He blocked at least one shot in every game this season, 31-of-33 games last year and 112-of-124 games over his four-year career. His total of 78 blocks this season is the most ever by a Rebel senior and second-most in school history. His total of 69 blocks last season is the Ole Miss record by a junior and is the third-most in a season in school history. His sophomore season total of 95 is the school record. SEC Career Blocks Leaders SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS MSU fell down early after an ice cold first half and dropped an 85-55 Southeastern Conference decision to Kentucky in Rupp Arena on Wednesday night. Mississippi State is now 7-20 overall, 2-13 in league play and are losers of 13 games in a row. The Bulldogs have shot 32.1 percent or less from the field in four of their last six games and have suffered an average margin of defeat of 26.3 ppg in those six contests. MSU is in the midst of its worst season since 1986-87, when the Bulldogs posted a 7-21 mark. Freshman Craig Sword leads the squad averaging 9.8 ppg and junior Jalen Steele is close behind averaging 9.7 ppg, while freshman Gavin Ware ranks first on the team pulling down 6.4 rpg. REBELS TAME TIGERS Ole Miss' win over No. 10 Missouri earlier this season was the Rebels' first victory over a top-10 team since knocking off No. 10 Kentucky in 2011 (see page 9 for complete recap and box score). Senior F Murphy Holloway's 22 points marked a career-best versus SEC opponents at the time. The Rebels held Missouri to 22 points in the first half, the fewest points the Tigers had scored in a game this season, and to 49 points for the game, which is the fewest points Mizzou had scored since 2003. Ole Miss also improved to 5-2 in its last 6 home SEC openers and 9-0 at home this season. OLE MISS WINS THRILLER IN NASHVILLE Ole Miss' thrilling overtime victory at Vanderbilt gave the Rebels a 3-0 SEC start for the first time since 2005-06. The win was Ole Miss' first in Nashville since 2001 and it also marked the first time since 1980 that the Rebels have won road games at Tennessee and at Vanderbilt in the same season. Down 13 points with eight minutes remaining, Ole Miss closed the game on a 34-12 run including overtime. HISTORIC WIN IN KNOXVILLE Ole Miss' win at Tennessee was historic for several reasons: It was only the Rebels' second-ever win in Thompson-Boling Arena and the first since 1991 ... It was Ole Miss' first win in an SEC opener since 2006 ... The win moved Ole Miss' record 12-2 which equals its best start since 2009-10 ... Ole Miss' 38-of-44 effort from the charity stripe marked a pair of Thompson-Boling Arena opponent records ... Marshall Henderson's 32 points were the most allowed by Tennessee since 2011 and the Rebels' 92 points were the most the Vols has given up at home since allowing 105 points to Texas in overtime in 2006 and 103 points to Kentucky in regulation in 2001 ... It was also the most points Ole Miss has scored against an SEC opponent since tallying 98 in overtime against Arkansas in 2009 and was the most in regulation since scoring 105 points vs. Alabama in 2001. HOLLOWAY JOINS THE 1,000-POINT CLUB With 15 points vs. McNeese State, senior F Murphy Holloway became the 34th member of the Ole Miss 1,000-point club. Holloway now ranks 16th in school history with 1,316 career points, just 14 points behind Tim Jumper for 15th on the list. He currently ranks second in the SEC and 53rd in the nation in field goal percentage (.538) and ranks eighth in the league in scoring at 14.5 ppg. |
5/14/2013 - M. Basketball Rebels To Face Kansas State In Inaugural Big 12/SEC Challenge
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