Rebels, No. 13 Gators Clash In Oxford
QUICK HITS
• Ole Miss is currently tied for fourth in the SEC Standings at 3-2. • Three SEC teams are undefeated at home this season - Kentucky (13-0), Florida (10-0) and Ole Miss (8-0). • Andy Kennedy has the most wins by a Rebel coach in his first six years (118). • The Rebels are 80-15 (.842 win pct.) in games played at Tad Smith Coliseum during Kennedy’s tenure. • The Rebels are 1-1 against nationally ranked opponents this season. • As a team, Ole Miss ranks 15th in the most recent NCAA rankings with 5.7 blocks/game. • In league play, the Rebels lead all SEC teams in rebounding (43.6) and rebounding margin (+8.2). • The Rebels are 8-1 when they win the turnover battle and 5-5 when they have more turnovers than the opponent. • Ole Miss is 11-2 when its opponent shoots below 40 percent from the field. •
Junior F Murphy Holloway returned from a 3-game absence (sprained
ankle) with a monster game against Arkansas (19 points, 14 rebounds).
Ole Miss is 12-3 this year when Holloway plays the whole game. •
Junior F Reginald Buckner broke the school’s all-time career blocks
record at Southern Miss. He now leads all active SEC players with 203
career blocks. He ranks 22nd nationally with 2.6 blocks/game. • Jarvis Summers ranks 8th among SEC freshmen in scoring, 3rd in assists and 2nd in free-throw attempts.
REBELS, GATORS CLASH IN OXFORD Thursday’s
game in Oxford features a pair of teams near the top of the SEC
standings with third-place Florida visiting fourth-place Ole Miss. The
13th-ranked Gators will face a Rebel squad coming off two straight wins
and three victories in its last four outings. Ole Miss has defended its
home court with a perfect 8-0 mark this season, while Florida is 1-4 on
the road.
SCOUTING THE GATORS Florida is ranked No. 13 in
this week’s Coaches poll and No. 14 in the AP. The Gators are 15-4
overall with a 3-1 league record and current third-place standing.
After falling at Tennessee in the SEC opener, the Gators have reeled
off three straight wins. The Gators boast a 14-0 record in home and
neutral games, but are just 1-4 in true road contests. Billy Donovan’s
team leads the SEC in scoring (82.2), assists (16.6), assist-turnover
ratio (1.5) and 3-pointers per game (10.6). All five regular starters
average double-figure points, led by a trio of guards in Kenny Boynton
(18.3 ppg), Bradley Beal (14.1 ppg) and Erving Walker (12.9 ppg).
Center Patric Young adds 11.2 ppg and 6.9 rpg, while Erik Murphy chips
in 10.6 ppg.
OLE MISS-FLORIDA SERIES Thursday’s game will be
the 102nd meeting between the two schools. Florida holds a 59-42 lead
in the series, which began in 1940. Ole Miss owns a 28-20 advantage in
Oxford. Three of the past four games in the series have been decided by
six points or less. The last Rebel win over the Gators was in 2008
(89-87 in Oxford). The teams squared off in the SEC Opener last year in
Gainesville, with Florida claiming a 77-71 win despite strong games
from Chris Warren (20 points) and Reginald Buckner (13 points, 10
rebounds). Andy Kennedy is 1-5 against Florida in his career, including
a 1-1 record in Oxford.
IN THE RPI Ole Miss has moved up to
No. 34 in the nation in the latest NCAA RPI rankings (Florida is No. 36
this week). Ole Miss has played the nation’s No. 30th ranked schedule
and has faced nine teams with RPIs of 100 or better (4-5 in those
games).
DEFENDING HOME COURT Winning at home has been a
trademark of Andy Kennedy’s squads since he took the reins in 2006-07.
Ole Miss is 80-15 (.842 win pct.) in games played at Tad Smith Coliseum
during Kennedy’s tenure, including an 8-0 record this season. Only
three SEC teams are undefeated at home this season - Kentucky (13-0),
Florida (10-0) and Ole Miss (8-0). Ole Miss has won 211 of its last 258
games (.818 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1995-96 campaign.
The Rebels have an all-time record of 444-194 (.696 win pct.) at Tad
Smith Coliseum, which opened in 1965-66.
REBELS VERSUS RANKED FOES This
is the third game Ole Miss has played against a ranked team this
season. They have gone 1-1 so far, losing to No. 19 Marquette at the
U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam and beating No. 15 Mississippi State
in Oxford. The Rebels are 6-16 against top-25 opponents under head
coach Andy Kennedy. They went 1-2 in such games last season, including
a 71-69 win over No. 10 Kentucky on Feb. 1 in Oxford.
MOST WINS IN FIRST SIX SEASONS With
the victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, Andy Kennedy surpassed Rod Barnes
for the most wins (114) in the first six seasons as Ole Miss head
coach. Now with 118 wins, Kennedy already ranks third in school history
behind B.L. “Country” Graham (144 wins in 13 seasons) and Barnes (141
wins in 8 seasons).
RIVALRY WIN SPARKS OLE MISS Ole Miss used
intensity and enthusiasm to defeat in-state rival and No. 15-ranked
Mississippi State last Wednesday. Behind Reginald Buckner’s career-high
19 points and his 15 rebounds and three blocks, Ole Miss put on a show
in front of a rowdy Tad Pad crowd. Nick Williams added 17 points, and
the Rebels piled up 14 assists with a season-low five turnovers (had
committed no less than 10 in any previous game). Ole Miss shot 50
percent from the field (27-54) and held the Bulldogs to 38 percent
(23-61) on the night.
LOCKING DOWN ON “D” Ole Miss has played
some impressive defensive games this season. Six different times the
Rebels have held their opponent below 60 points, including a pair of
games under 40. The Rebels rank third in the SEC (and 27th in the NCAA)
in field goal percentage defense at 39.1. Ole Miss is 11-2 when its
opponent shoots below 40 percent from the field.
SIZE ADVANTAGE Ole
Miss is taking advantage of its significant height and length advantage
against the majority of its opponents this year. No scholarship player
on the roster is listed shorter than 6-4, while six Rebels who see
significant minutes are listed at 6-7 or taller. Ole Miss ranks second
among SEC teams in rebounding average (39.9) and rebounding margin
(+4.4). In SEC play, Ole Miss leads all teams with 43.6 rebounds per
game and a +8.2 rebounding margin. Through five league games, Reginald
Buckner and Murphy Holloway rank first and third in rebounding at 11.0
rpg and 9.8 rpg, respectively. In all games, the Rebels block 5.7 shots
per game, ranking third in the league and 15th in the NCAA.
TURNOVERS MATTER Ole
Miss has an 8-1 record when it records the same or fewer turnovers than
its opponent, while the Rebels are 5-5 when they lose the turnover
battle.
BALANCED ATTACK Eight different players have led Ole
Miss in scoring at least once this year, topped by Terrance Henry’s
total of six times. Four current Rebels average 9+ points per outing -
Henry (11.5), Jarvis Summers (10.6), Murphy Holloway (10.4) and Nick
Williams (9.7). Ten different players are averaging 8+ minutes per game
at this juncture, while eight players average 14+ minutes per outing.
HOLLOWAY RETURNS WITH BIG NUMBERS Junior
F Murphy Holloway has posted some big numbers in his return to Ole Miss
this year (following a one-year stint in South Carolina) and averages
10.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg (3rd in SEC, 28th in NCAA). He is third among SEC
players with six double-doubles this year and ranks second among active
league players with 20 in his career. In league play, he leads all SEC
players with a 60.6 field goal percentage. He was the SEC Player of the
Week after helping Ole Miss to wins over TCU and Miami.
THE HOLLOWAY FACTOR Ole
Miss really missed the presence of junior F Murphy Holloway after he
sprained his ankle in the second half against Middle Tennessee (Dec.
21). The Rebels went on to drop that contest and two of the next three
without him. He returned against Arkansas to score 19 points, grab 14
rebounds and effectively energize his teammates in leading the Rebels
to victory. Ole Miss is 12-3 this year when Holloway plays the whole
game.
BUCKNER SETS OLE MISS RECORD, MOVES UP IN SEC CAREER BLOCKS LIST With
four blocks at Southern Miss, junior F Reginald Buckner surpassed Sean
Murphy as the Rebels’ all-time career leader in blocked shots. In just
81 games, the Memphis native now has accumulated 203 blocks, making him
the 21st player in SEC history with 200 or more. The school record was
previously held by Murphy, who had 180 blocks in 117 games from
1988-91. Buckner’s 2.6 blocks average this season ranks fourth among
SEC players and 22nd in the most recent NCAA rankings. He now holds the
school record for blocks in a career, season and game.
IN THE “NICK” OF TIME Junior
G Nick Williams has stepped up his game in SEC play, averaging a
team-best 13.2 ppg in league games (16th in SEC). The Mobile, Ala.,
native has dropped in 12 or more points in each of the last four
contests. He tallied a season-high 18 points and tied a career high
with 8 rebounds to help the Rebels to a victory over Arkansas. Coming
off the bench for the first time this season, his tenacity was evident
in each of his successful drives to the hoop, and the Rebels’ top
free-throw shooter knocked down 4 of 5 from the line, as well. At
Auburn, he came up big with a game-tying 3-pointer to help erase a
12-point second half deficit and force overtime. He poured in 17 points
(7-9 FTs) in the win over 15th-ranked Mississippi State. He had 12
points at Georgia.
SUMMERS NOT AFRAID OF CRUNCH TIME Freshman
PG Jarvis Summers has shown no fear in the face of critical situations
this year. It was his 27 points and crunch-time heroics that gave the
Rebels an early victory at Penn State and his late free throws to seal
an overtime win over Miami. Against Auburn, he directed a comeback from
12 down in the final nine minutes to force overtime, hitting all four
of his 3-pointers after the nine-minute mark. He scored 22 against the
Tigers to become the first Rebel with multiple 20-point games this
year. He ranks eighth among SEC freshmen in scoring with 10.6 ppg,
third with 3.1 assists per game and second with 93 free throws
attempted. Among SEC freshmen in league play, he ranks sixth in scoring
and third in assists.
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