Unemployment at 10% but Jeff Lebo still has a job?

Amazing. Simply amazing.

How in the world does a guy like Jeff Lebo keep his job at Auburn for so long?

Here's his strategy summed up in three points. 

1.) Recruit JUCOs to fill out roster. (at least six guys on the current roster went Juco or post-graduate)

2.) Tell  all the players to shoot whenever they are open, covered or whenever they feel like they can make a half-court shot.

3.) Keep head meticulously shaved. 

But somehow he has played Andy Kennedy fairly well notching a 3-3 record. This has got to stop tonight.

The most frustrating games to lose are the ones you know your team should have won. The better team doesn't always win. That certainly has been the case in the Auburn series over the last three years.

Auburn's one conference victory came against, by far, the worst team in the SEC this year (LSU). Losses to South Carolina and Kentucky at home coupled with other deficiencies to "protect this house" against SAM HOUSTON STATE and TROY shows that Beard-Eaves Coliseum should not be feared.

In my mind, The Rebels have won the games they were supposed to win up until this point in the season. The loss to Mississippi State to open conference play is probably the only aberration to that claim. 

Road wins are not easy to come by the in conference play, which is evident by a close win in Athens and a grind-it-out victory in Baton Rouge. To further this point, Auburn(10-10) lost to Kentucky(eleventrybillion-1) by 5 points at home.

The Tiger/Eagles/Plainsmen are 1-7 against top 100 RPI teams. The Rebels are ranked anywhere from 30 to 36 in on-line rankings for RPI. You've got to love that stat if you're a Rebel.

This can be a game where our statistical presence down low is further strengthened. Rebounding has improved over the past few games, and with a shoot-first mentality offense for both teams in this game, I feel there are going to be plenty of rebounding opportunities.

DeWayne Reed, Lucas Hargrove, and Frankie Sullivan have to be contained on the perimeter. With our long, athletic guards, this shouldn't be too great of an issue. 

With upcoming games on Saturday and Tuesday against Arkansas and Kentucky, the Rebels should try to limit a lot of the up-tempo play unless absolutely needed to finish off the Tigers. We can't afford to be very tired after this game.

Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner will continue to emerge as better offensive options and provide quality defensive minutes. Terrico White and Chris Warren should be able to score as many points as their hearts desire.

I want to see a decisive victory on the road to ease my fears about our ability to dominate a team in conference play. I know, a W is a W, but a skullbashing is damn skullbashing. 

Final prediction

Ole Miss 81

Auburn 63