| 03 January 2012
Ole Miss finally met its match in the SMU Mustangs when it comes to woeful shooting, but the Rebels did manage to pull out the 50-48 win, mostly behind a solid performance from the free throw line. Though the Rebels continued to struggle from the field, shooting just 34-percent on the night, they did sink 14-of-17 from the charity stripe. The solid performance from the foul line was definitely a difference in this squeaker between two teams who absolutely could not find the basket. SMU had a 10-minute stretch without a field goal in the first half, but the Rebels were only able to capitalize for a 28-21 halftime lead. SMU was slightly more opportunistic in the 2nd half, taking advantage of Ole Miss' failure to score (the Rebels scored just 22 points in the 2nd half) and nearly getting the win before Terrance Henry sealed it for Ole Miss with two critical free throws in the final minute. Henry led the Rebels with 13 points. He was 2 of 3 from 3-pt range, and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Reginald Buckner, Jarvis Summers and Maurice Aniefiok each score 8 points for Ole Miss.
Fifty points rarely wins bigtime college basketball games. Ugly though it was, Ole Miss did finally put an end to a three-game losing streak that started in mid-December with a loss to Southern Mississippi. After a loss to Middle Tennessee State and a nine-day Christmas break Ole Miss traveled to Dayton and lost. The Rebels were also playing without injured Murphy Holloway, arguably the teams most valuable player. Holloway's 9 points and 9 rebounds per game were definitely missed in this narrow escape of SMU.
While it's easy to say a win is a win, there was nothing comforting about the team's home performance against the below-average SMU Mustangs in an empty Tad Smith Coliseum. Maybe the win is enough to at least get some badly needed confidence back, but the fact remains these Rebels really have a difficult time shooting the basketball. SEC play at LSU starts Saturday. Holloway should be back, but the Tigers are playing decent ball for Trent Johnson this year. All three of those recent losses for the Rebels were away from Tad Smith Coliseum. A win in Baton Rouge will be hard to come by.
The win did move Ole Miss to 10-4 on the season. In his five previous seasons coaching the Rebels, Kennedy has never won more than nine SEC games. This does not appear to be his best team. A .500 record in the SEC would surpass my expectations at this point. Translation: Get ready for another NCAA-less year. Eight wins would make Ole Miss 18-12. Those aren't NCAA qualifying numbers and even then .500 in the SEC looks more aspirational than realistic at this point.
NOTES: Jelan Kendrick didn't play per a "coaching decision." My guess is Kendrick is still having trouble earning the right to play. Whether it's behavior or practice related I don't know, but Kendrick is looking less and less like a player that will be utilized this year, which would be a huge disappointment given his McDonald's All-American pedigree. Then again, Kennedy knew what he was getting into when he convinced Kendrick to transfer to Ole Miss after parting ways with Memphis.
SHOOTING: Ole Miss still lacks for having a go-to shooter. Henry stepped up with 13 points, but Ole Miss needs Summers, Nelson, White or maybe even Aniefiok to become reliable threats from the floor. Summers was 1-for-6 from the field. Nelson was 1-for-8. White was 0-for-4. Aniefiok was 3-for-7 and 2-for-6 from 3-pt range, which sounds refreshing compared to Nelson and Summers, but those numbers are still far from spectacular. Andy Kennedy must find and develop some guards if the Rebels are going to have any chance at a good run through SEC play.
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