The headline sums up the monologue I spew during recent Ole Miss basketball games.
I can imagine Andy Kennedy's sideline rants are roughly the same though probably filled with more four letter words, basketball slang and Ambien...maybe a Bud Select or three.
The Rebels' play over the past six games – with five losses compiled – has been less than satisfactory for fans who thought this team had it in them to go to the Big Dance.
However, with four games to go in the regular season and a looming SEC tourney, there is still a slim window of opportunity for this team. It all starts with Auburn.
The Rebels' remaining schedule consists of a sub .500 Auburn team, an Alabama team whose postseason chances are dwindling, a historically bad LSU team and an Arkansas team who seems to be running on fumes.
Auburn comes into Oxford with a 13-14 overall record and a 4-8 SEC record. As we saw in the Rebels' win at Auburn, the Tigers love to shoot threes, and when they are hitting them, they are a very frustrating team to face. The threes provide momentum and keep Auburn in games they shouldn't be in late into the second half.
The Rebels are most likely going to be without Murphy Holloway, according to reports, because he has been feeling under the weather recently. This is not good news, as Holloway has emerged as a fairly consistent rebounding threat.
One big key to success Wednesday will be to shut down Tay Waller. In my opinion, he's the game-changer for Auburn, as shown in their 92-83 victory over Arkansas when he dropped seven 3-pointers and nearly 30 points.
Ole Miss has superior athletes and depth compared to Auburn and would probably dominate the game if they played most of the game in man-to-man defense. It would limit open looks from behind the arc and wear down the Tigers. Neither team has a dominant big man, so the rebounding margin should be in the Rebel's favor and leave Reginald Buckner and Terrance Henry with several second chance opportunities.
Andy Kennedy has used a 2-3 zone and man-to-man cycling back and forth. The Tigers can shoot the Rebels out of the zone, but if we're seeing a lot of zone, then Auburn may be hitting a cold streak. Zone play on defense will also allow Ole Miss to reserve some energy for the offensive end. Kennedy's offensive strategy continues to be a "let someone make a play" with no one taking a leadership role.
Out of the trio of Chris Warren, Eniel Polynice and Terrico White, someone needs to step up here and now to get this team hot at the perfect time.
Fans have really waned on this team after losing five of the last six, but closing out the season with four conference victories would put them at 9-7 in SEC play. This could be enough to put the Rebels in a good seed for the SEC Tournament depending on Mississippi State's and Arkansas' play.
With good seeding, Ole Miss would have a decided advantage in tournament play and a run to the SEC championship game could be enough to get the Rebels into the Big Dance.
Yeah, it's a long shot and slim odds, but they are there. And it all starts with Auburn.