Rebel Basketball: Miami Hurricanes vs. Ole Miss Rebels - What to Look For

by The Ghost of Jay Cutler on Nov 25, 2011 2:07 PM EST in 2011 Ole Miss Rebels Basketball

Get out of the lines at Best Buy and Wal Mart ("But I'm gonna save, like, twenty dollars by being here, idiot."), put down the leftover turkey sandwich, and drive yourself to Oxford tonight to support the Ole Miss Rebel basketballers as they take on the Miami Hurricanes in the Tad Pad. They'll be looking to avenge a 86-73 loss to the 'Canes last season in Coral Gables and extend their record on the season to 5-1.

Earlier this week, the Rebels fell in embarrassing fashion to Marquette by 30-or-so points (I don't remember, nor do I care to look it up - that's how bad it was) before beating TCU to claim third place in the US Virgin Islands' Paradise Jam tournament. After that Marquette loss, head coach Andy Kennedy was upset enough to say that such a performance should count as "two losses," but was relieved that it did not. In order to bolster the Rebel RPI, a win tonight over Miami is crucial, especially if Ole Miss is going to be a typical "just on the wrong side of the bubble" type of team again this season.

The 'Canes are 4-0 so far this year, with their only win worthy of any mention being over Rutgers which still isn't saying very much at all. They are led by a pair of guards, Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott, who are averaging 17 and 13 points per game respectively. Their head coach is Jim Larranaga who, if you know anything about mid-major basketball, is an excellent coach, having led George Mason for 14 years. I'm sure you all remember their Final Four run back in 2005 or 2006 or whenever that was. His style is guard oriented and focuses on minimizing turnovers, which the Hurricanes have done this season, coughing up fewer than ten turnovers a game on average.

It won't be an easy victory, but it's possible if - and only if - the Rebels can develop a shooting presence from a distance. The Rebels will do well down low, especially considering that the Rebels are third in the SEC in rebounds so far this season, but guards Jarvis Summers and Dundrecous Nelson and wing Terrence Henry will need to do what they can to keep the pressure off of Reginald Buckner, DeMarco Cox, and Murphy Holloway offensively.

In short: go to the damn game. I know you're hungover and tired, but just go. You don't have anything else to do and you know you'll have a damn blast. I'm sure they'll just let you in if you bring some canned goods or something. Just say it's for a soup kitchen, and do it confidently. You'll be good.

Hotty Toddy!

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Was all set to attend this game

before I found out the damn LSU-AR was on at 1:30 today. Might try and sneak over and see the end if LSU can get up big. crossesfingers/

That was a called play, and I called it Brotha!!! HYYAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

by Catfish Powe-boy on Nov 25, 2011 2:29 PM EST reply actions

Rebels looking much better..finally landing shots they should hit plus the 3 ball. Improved so far. Free throws need work still :/

by Geaux To Hell LSU on Nov 25, 2011 4:52 PM EST via mobile reply actions

At the game..

We look terrible inside even though we have a height advantage. Thankfully we’ve been making 3’s. Anyone know why Buckner isn’t playing? I know he was suspended but I thought he was back to playing.

"BALL DON'T LIE"

by The Powe Train on Nov 25, 2011 5:09 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Buckner had his knee drained.

He is also having a precautionary MRI to see if there is any damage.

by UMReb on Nov 25, 2011 5:14 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Are you the only one there?

Regardless…yes, you are right. Inside game should be dominating. It seems to have taken home court for them to settle down and land shots, especially the 3. Too close for comfort though..

by Geaux To Hell LSU on Nov 25, 2011 5:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

And we're headed to Overtime!!!

CousCous is definitely our worst free throw shooter possibly ever. Henry is playing his ass off. Cox still needs time to develop. We live and die by the 3 ball.

"BALL DON'T LIE"

by The Powe Train on Nov 25, 2011 6:02 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Rebs win..

I remain unimpressed with our play. We have great depth and talent, yet still manage to look mediocre. We were up 17-0 with 11 minutes left in the 1st half. The U ripped off a 24-7 run in 3 minutes. Rebounding was atrocious. I can’t wait to get Jelan and Snoop on Dec. 10th. I hope they live up to their hype, or we’re headed back to the NIT.

"BALL DON'T LIE"

by The Powe Train on Nov 25, 2011 6:37 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Big win

That was a called play, and I called it Brotha!!! HYYAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

by Catfish Powe-boy on Nov 25, 2011 6:34 PM EST reply actions

Game

Thought we looked ok tonight. Proud of our guys for not giving up when Miami came back we still held them off to get the win. Wins like these will help us later. I feel like we use the three ball a lot but I don’t agree that we live and die by it. Saw some glimpses of great ball movement with Jarvis Murphy Henry and cox. Murphy is a great asset to us and Kennedy is killing us by not telling them to crash the offensive boards. Also kennedy cannot break the zone and that’s why I cannot say he is a great coach.

"Dont taze me bro"

by Bringing the Pena on Nov 25, 2011 6:38 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Kennedy attacks the zone

in incredibly poor fashion. Honestly, if you wanted to make an instructional video on how NOT to attack a zone defense, you could just show highlights of our guys playing against zone defenses. Way too often we have someone just dribbling the air out of the ball thirty feet from the basket only to take a contested thirty-foot jumper. I’ve heard AK say before that he likes to keep the offense simple, so he uses the same strategy against man and zone defenses (i.e. the guard weave/handoff you see us run against both types of defenses). Unfortunately, that style of attack doesn’t work against well-run zones.

by bball1984 on Nov 25, 2011 7:32 PM EST up reply actions

#Murphsamotherfuckingbeastinthepainthesgettingadoubledoublenearlyeverygame

That was a called play, and I called it Brotha!!! HYYAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

by Catfish Powe-boy on Nov 25, 2011 7:08 PM EST reply actions

Meh, I'll take the win...

Beating the U without Buckner was nice. Miami is probably going to finish near the bottom of the ACC, but a win against an ACC team is always a nice mark to have on the schedule (and will help the RPI out a little bit late in the season).

I still have no clue what to make of this team. I have now seen them play on TV three times and remain relatively unimpressed. We struggle to score against the zone and our FT shooting is horrific. It’s actually pretty amazing that we’re sitting here at 5-1 considering we shoot below 30% from three and around 55-60% from the FT line. If we can win on the road against DePaul and Penn State (both mediocre to bad teams in their respective conferences this season), then we will be looking at having a really nice record heading into conference play. If Kendrick and Snoop White live up to the hype, we’ll probably be looking at another season where we are squarely on the bubble for the Big Dance coming down the stretch. Hopefully we can backdoor our way in this season. What’s the deal with Buckner- is his injury supposed to be bad? We need his rebounding and defense out there, but to be honest, I have been incredibly unimpressed by his play so far this year. Hopefully he can get it together and be back for the DePaul/Penn State games….

by bball1984 on Nov 25, 2011 7:28 PM EST reply actions

Buckner has a bone bruise.

by UMReb on Nov 25, 2011 9:04 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Ok

Well, if he’s already had his knee drained and it’s just a bone bruise with no structural damage he’ll probably be ready to go against DePaul Thursday night. Here’s hoping his level of play picks up once he gets back near 100%.

by bball1984 on Nov 25, 2011 9:43 PM EST up reply actions

Sorry but I have to ask

Has anyone heard any new coaching rumors? Surely we are getting close to hiring someone. Apparently Fedora is still on our “list” even after he choked against UAB….

"Dont taze me bro"

by Bringing the Pena on Nov 26, 2011 2:32 AM EST via mobile reply actions

To be fair, I don't think one game

should determine how qualified a candidate is to be our coach. Having said that, if we hire Fedora I will lose all faith in our athletic department. I’m sure he’s a nice guy with solid recruiting connections, but he’s been pretty mediocre at one of the top programs in CUSA over the past four seasons. He’s also had the benefit of an incredibly easy schedule. If he were to come in and light the world on fire, I’d be more than happy to eat these words- but I don’t see that happening.

by bball1984 on Nov 26, 2011 9:37 AM EST via mobile up reply actions