POSTERIZED: They bring it in the N.I.T. too

For the past two days, the general populus have been moaning and groaning about the talent level in the "First Four" games. Eight tournament teams have been mocked, questioned and chastised for nearly a week now. Just imagine if they hadn't made it?

We would have forgotten all about UAB and USC until next year.

Seriously, Don't try and convince me that you knew that Cal and Ole Miss were playing last night.

Well they were, and it featured a pretty nasty poster-dunk by Ole Miss' Terrence Henry.



I'm sure Henry would have loved to be playing in Dayton right now. But I'm sure he'll be just fine with a highlight-worthy posterization.


But was it as good as one of these?:
Continue reading...

Seton Hall adds Eniel Polynice

The NCAA has a little known rule that has come to the forefront this summer. If an athlete finishes their undergraduate program with eligibility remaining, they can transfer to another D1 school without being forced to sit out for a season so long as they enter a graduate program at the new school that isn't offered at their previous school.

Its why Jeremiah Masoli, the former Oregon quarterback who was kicked off the team for a series of violations, was allowed to transfer to Ole Miss.

The rule has also been exploited by quite a few college hoopers this summer. Justin Knox left Alabama after graduating, becoming a back-up big man for a loaded North Carolina team. Roburt Sallie essentially got the heave-ho from Memphis and head coach Josh Pastner, but he will have a place to land in Louisville so long as he is able to finish his degree this summer. And Sean Kowal, a seven-foot center from Northern Illinois, made some headlines when he the university initially refused to grant him a waiver to transfer to a different program to pursue a graduate degree in theology.

Eniel Polynice will be a nice addition to the Seton Hall backcourt.
(photo credit: Daylife)

And then there is Eniel Polynice. Polynice graduated form Ole Miss in the spring and initially intended on entering the NBA Draft. But once it became clear that he wasn't going to sniff the second round, the 6'5" guard started searching for a school to transfer too. Seeing as Andy Kennedy, as Andy Katz put it, "wasn't unhappy that Polynice wasn't returning", the school gave Polynice his release. He landed at Seton Hall, and on Friday he was officially added to the Seton Hall roster and will be eligible immediately.

Seton Hall now has a chance to be a dangerous team next season. Back is Jeremy Hazell, who is a bit of a head case and doesn't quite understand what a good shot is, but nonetheless is one of the most potent scorers in the Big East. Joining him in the back court is Jordan Theodore, who was quietly one of the more underrated point guards in the Big East last season. Keon Lawrence, the talented but troubled Missouri transfer, and Jamel Jackson, who hit 12 threes in a game last season, also return, which means that the addition of Polynice, along with freshman Fuquan Edwin, will give Seton Hall a loaded back court.

Polynice, however, brings an element that the Pirates don't have on the perimeter. He's not a scorer. Polynice is a tough defender and a slasher that is more apt at creating for teammates than firing up 15 shots a game.

Despite that loaded backcourt, Seton Hall's season is going to hinge on the health of Herb Pope. If you don't remember, Pope was rushed to the hospital after collapsing when he finished a workout. He was released from the hospital after spending almost a month there, and as of now hopes to be cleared medically to play this season. Pope averaged a double-double last season, anchoring Seton Hall's front line. Witht he athletic and aggressive Jeff Robinson joining him up front, it gives new Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard a nice combination. If Pope is not cleared, Willard will be forced to use sophomore Ferrakhon Hall, as well as the three freshmen bigs he has coming in, for heavy minutes.

There are quite a few x-factors for this Pirate team. Pope's health; a new head coach in Kevin Willard and a new system; the enigma that is Jeremy Hazell. But if this team can catch a couple of breaks, they should be an NCAA Tournament team.

Continue reading...

The difference between Rhode Island and the SEC

Much has been made the last couple of days about the trials and tribulations of players transferring between schools.

You will likely find nary a writer arguing that the process fair for the players.

Both Matt Norlander and Eamonn Brennan (twice!) have stood on their respective pedestals over the last couple of weeks to rail against the NCAA for issues involving the transfer of Justin Knox out of Alabama and Murphy Holloway out of Ole Miss.

To be honest, both players are getting a bit of a raw deal. Knox will have graduated from Alabama in three years at summer's end, and wanted to transfer to a different school to pursue a graduate degree and finish out his playing days. Alabama told him that was fine, but that he would not be allowed to go to another SEC school (pretty standard), any school on the 2010-2011 basketball schedule (not uncommon), or any school within the University of Alabama school system. That includes UAB, the school most believed that Know wanted to go to.

Alabama believes that UAB pursued Knox before he received his release, so they but the kibash on his attempts to be a Blazer.

Holloway is in a similar situation. Holloway has a daughter in South Carolina that he wants to be closer to while continuing his basketball career. He was looking at Clemson, South Carolina, Winthrop, and the College of Charleston as possible destinations.

Few expected Holloway to be allowed to transfer to South Carolina, as the Gamecocks are also a member of the SEC. But Ole Miss also nixed Clemson, meaning that Holloway is going to have to make a choice -- play basketball at a high major school in a different state than his family (the reason that he is leaving Ole Miss, mind you), or head to a low-major program, where becoming a pro is a much more difficult task.

Ole Miss claims that Clemson tampered with Holloway, contacting him before he he was officially released. In reality, Ole Miss comes off as bitter as a spurned ex-girlfriend.

On the one hand, there needs to be some measure in place to avoid schools recruiting players that are enrolled at another institution. Giving the first school -- the ex-girlfriend, if you will -- the authority to limit where that player can continue his career is a fairly effective incentive. You can recruit this kid from my team if you want to, but if I find out, rest assured he won't be going to your school.

But these are two cases of players looking to transfer for reasons outside of sports. Knox for a graduate degree. Holloway to help raise his daughter. You would think that a school that truly cared about the well being of their student-athletes would try to make things easier for these kids, not do everything in their power to hinder their personal growth.

As much as my fellow bloggers and I like to rail against the problems with the NCAA and its member institutions, we also need to highlight when a program gets it right.

Kyle Cain had signed a letter of intent to go to Rhode Island, but he told Adam Zagoria that "there were some things that were supposed to happen that wasn’t going to happen so I was kind of unhappy", eventually asking for his release from the LOI.

Now, Cain has since drawn interest from schools all over the country, including Kentucky, and it could have been very easy for Rhode Island not to grant him that release. Cain is a hot commodity right now, and regardless of whether that is a result of his talent or the late date, it isn't hard to imagine that Cain would have had an instant impact with the Rams.

Instead, coach Jimmy Baron allowed Cain out of his LOI, and Cain is now choosing between Alabama, Arizona State, West Virginia, and his home-state Fighting Illini.

So go ahead and rail against the NCAA for having too much authority and rip all the schools that abuse their ability to assert control over the student-athletes that represent them. I'll be right there next to you.

But while you sling as much mud as possible, be sure to give credit when credit is due.

Rhode Island did the right thing by Kyle Cain, and they deserve to be acknowledged for it.

Continue reading...

Ole Miss has had a tough month

This season didn't exactly go as well as many hoped for Ole Miss, but things looked fairly promising for next season.

Their talented back court of Chris Warren, Terrico White, and Eniel Polynice all had eligibility remaining. In fact, the Rebels were scheduled to return their top eight scorers from last season, with 6'9" DeAundre Cranston -- who started 21 games -- the only senior on the roster in 2010. They also got news that leading scorer Warren would not be putting his name in the NBA Draft pool.

Chris Warren looks to be the only starter that is returning for Ole Miss.
(photo credit: GulfLive)

Things were looking promising in Starkville.

But that is when the defections started.

First, it was Eniel Polynice. Polynice was a junior in terms of eligibility, but as a result of redshirting his first season at Ole Miss, Polynice will graduate at the end of this semester and decided to pursue a professional career. Polynice didn't travel the smoothest path at Ole Miss. He was one of three players that missed the 2008-2009 season due to injury, and this season he saw his numbers drop across the board. He seemed to be permanently in Andy Kennedy's dog house, as well. He was benched for the first half of a game early in the season and was suspended for the finale at Arkansas before coming off the bench during the postseason.

Polynice will likely go undrafted.

Next in line was Murphy Holloway. The third leading scorer, leading rebounder, and most consistent post presence for the Rebels, Holloway has decided to transfer for to a school closer to his South Carolina home to help raise his daughter.

"This is a very difficult decision for me," Holloway said in a statement. "I've had a great two years here at Ole Miss. I'm sad to be leaving my Ole Miss family here, but I have to be a mature adult and take responsibility for my daughter and my family in South Carolina."

He's looking at Clemson, South Carolina, College of Charleston, and Winthrop, although Ole Miss may not allow him to transfer to the Gamecocks.

Its impossible to bash Holloway on this decision, but there is no question that it is going to hurt Ole Miss next season. With the graduation of Cranston, the Rebels are left with just Terrance Henry and Reggie Buckner in their front court, and Henry is more comfortable playing on the perimeter.

The latest blow comes in the form of Terrico White. White declared for the NBA Draft a while back, but has yet to sign an agent. He's an intriguing prospect, an athletic and strong 6'5" guard that has shown the ability to play both back court spots, but right now it appears he's in that group of players that could go in the 20-45 range.

There was hope that White could return to school for his junior season, but according to Draft Express, that isn't likely. Via Twitter:

Ole Miss sophomore Terrico White will stay in the NBA draft, a source close to the situation tells DraftExpress.

All told, Ole Miss looks like they are going to lose three of their top five scorers and four starters.

That isn't easy to overcome.
Continue reading...

Maybe the Pac-10 isn't so bad after all

We've heard it so much that it has become almost ingrained in our heads.

"The Pac-10 is down this season. They are one-bid league. No one can get an at-large."

Well, that has all but been proven false by Cal, whose steady ascension in the RPI has peaked at 22nd as of March 4th. The Bears don't have any great wins, but they have beaten four teams in the non-conference schedule that won or finished in second in their respective leagues, and also lost to the Big XII, Pac-10, Big East, and MWC regular season champ. They've lost five times in Pac-10 play, with four of the five coming on the road.

Jerome Randle and Cal will be dancing.
(photo credit: AP)

Now, Cal would be very lucky to get anything higher than a six or seven seed (and that is if they win the Pac-10 tournament), but the bottom line is that Cal is very close to locking up a bid.

Are they the only one?

Take a look at these resumes:

Team #1: 19-9, 10-7

• RPI: 55; SOS: 55
• Top 25/50/100: 2-2/2-2/6-5
  
• Best Wins: Texas A&M, Cal
• Worst Losses: Oregon, USC twice, UCLA
  

Team #2: 21-9, 11-6

• RPI: 54; SOS: 73
• Top 25/50/100: 0-5/1-5/3-7
  
• Best Wins: San Diego State
  
• Worst Losses: USC, UCLA
  

Team #3: 21-9, 9-6

• RPI: 59; SOS: 126
• Top 25/50/100: 0-2/1-3/6-4
• Best Wins: Old Dominion, Ole Miss twice
• Worst Losses: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Rider, Western Kentucky
  

Team #4: 20-9, 8-7

• RPI: 56; SOS: 64
• Top 25/50/100: 1-5/2-5/4-8
• Best Wins: Kansas State, UTEP
  
• Worst Losses: Arkansas
  

Care to take a guess at which team is which?

... I'll wait ...

Team #1 is Washington, team #2 is Arizona State. Team #3 Mississippi State, and #4 Ole Miss.

I know that there is so much more to selecting the field than those five statistics. I also realize that those numbers don't necessarily tell you the whole story about any team. Mississippi State hasn't played anyone and has beaten even fewer teams while losing to five teams with RPI's over 100. Washington hasn't beaten anyone that matter on the road. Arizona State has no marquee wins, and just one "quality" win. Ole Miss hasn't beaten an SEC opponent with a winning record in league play, and the only SEC team they've beaten with a winning record overall is Alabama.

But the bubble is exceedingly weak this year.

We know this.

Every team on the bubble has flaws.

Hell, Ole Miss and Mississippi State have flaws, but both of them have been getting at-large consideration.

My only question: are Washington and Arizona State really that far behind?

Continue reading...

Thursday's Shootaround: Derrick Caracter makes an impact, but UTEP blows a lead late

Ole Miss 91, UTEP 81 OT: Ole Miss is building quite the reputation as the comeback kids. For the third consecutive game, the Rebels rallied to make an improbably comeback, this time from down 12 with five minutes left to force overtime. Two three pointers by Terrico White sparked a 14-0 run that was capped by two Chris Warren free throws to give the Miners a 71-70 lead with 48 seconds left, and White added another free throw before Arnett Moultrie hit a short jumper to force OT.

Chris Warren scored a career-high 32 points as Ole Miss came back on UTEP.
(photo credit: AP)

In the OT, Zach Graham started the scoring with a three, and Ole Miss was able to hit their free throws down the stretch to hold on to the win. Chris Warren, who had 17 points in the first 15 minutes, but was held scoreless after that until the Ole Mis comeback, scored 11 of his career high 32 in overtime. White finished with 19 points for the Rebels. Randy Culpepper had 19 points to lead the Miners, but was just 2-12 from three. The story of the game for UTEP, however, was Derrick Caracter, who posted 15 points and 15 boards in just his second game since March 28th, 2008. And he did it against a top 25 team.

Oklahoma State 71, Stanford 70: The Cowboys used some hot second half shooting to open up a lead as big as 15 points at one point, but Stanford was able to make a come back thanks to some timely buckets from Jeremy Green (19 points) and Landry Fields (22 points, 12 boards, 4 assists). James Anderson scored 28 points, and Obi Muonelo scored 20, to lead the Pokes to a nice road win.

UAB 64, Cincinnati 47: Cincinnati was out played out hustled, and as a result was out rebounded 47-34 as the Blazers soundly beat the Bearcats. They were up by as much as 25 before a late run. The domination was all the more impressive when you consider the Cinci is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and the Blazers start four guards. The Bearcats, who were 3-22 from three and only got Yancy Gates 8 shots, settled for too many jumpers and contested threes for a team without the benefit of one player that could, right now, be considered a consistent and reliable three point shooter. Elijan Millsap had 22 and 15 to lead UAB.

South Carolina 76, Richmond 58: Richmond was in this game for 32 two minutes, as a Dan Geriot bucket with 8:12 left in the game tied it at 52. But the Gamecocks would respond with a 24-6 run to close the game as their pressure finally started working. Devan Downey finished with 18 points to lead USC.

Other notables games:

• Georgia Tech 65, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 53: Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors combined for 30 points and 26 rebounds as the Yellow Jackets overcame a sluggish performance in their final tune-up before starting ACC play on the 20th.
• Ohio State 78, Presbyterian 48: Ohio State used a 14-0 run at the start of the game and jumped out to a 53-21 halftime lead, but was outscored in the second half.
• Clemson 80, East Carolina 63: Trevor Booker had 13 points, 12 boards, and 9 assists for the Tigers who jumped out to a early lead before throwing it in cruise control in the second half.
• New Mexico 96, Northern Arizona 57: The Lobos jumped out to a 14-0 lead, then shot 22-31 from the field in the second half as they hit 16 threes on the game. Roman martinez had 17 to lead the way.
• Miami 69, Stetson 49: Dwayne Collins had 20 points and 15 boards as the Hurricanes never trailed, using a 12-2 run midway through the second half to seal this one.
• South Florida 69, Central Florida 65: Dominique Jones scored 27 points and added 6 boards and 5 steals as the Bulls won for the 10th time in 11 games against UCF.
• Louisvile 94, Oral Roberts 57: The Cardinals used a stifling press in the first half to jump to a big lead and rebound from back to back home losses. Edgar Sosa had 18 to lead the Ville.
• Mississippi State 80, Wright State 69: The Bulldogs shot 63% from the floor and hit 12 threes while Jarvis Varnado added 17 points, 8 boards, and 6 blocks.
• Wake Forest 80, UNC-Wilmington 69: LD Williams had a career-high 23 points, Ishmael Smith had 19, and Al-Farouq Aminu added 17 and 13 boards as Wake survived a gutty performance from the Seahawks.
• Arkansas 76, Alabama State 51: Michael Washington had 22 and 8 boards as the Razorbacks got back to .500 with the win.
• Alabama 60, Samford 45: Mikhail Torrance scored 15 points and handed out 7 assists as the Tide rebounded from a loss to Purdue in which they blew a 16 point second half lead.
• Illinois-Chicago 63, Oregon State 61: Robo Kreps scored on a layup with 5.6 seconds left as UIC knocked off the Beavers.
• American 62, DePaul 57: Dan Hendra his a three with 2:28 left to give American a 58-57 lead and finished with 17 points as AU landed the upset.
• Northwestern 84, North Florida 54: Michael Thompson led six scorers in double figures as the Wildcas won their seventh straight game.
• Wisconsin 90, Cal-Poly 42: Trevon Hughes scored 20, including his 1,000 point, as the Badgers cruised to a big win.
• Oregon 79, Mississippi Valley State 51: Garrett Sim hd 19 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists as the Ducks beat the Delta Devils.
  

Wednesday's best:

• Hassan Whiteside had a triple double, going for 17 points, 14 boards, and 11 blocks, as Marshall beat non-DI Brescia.
• DeAndre Mays scored 27 points and added 6 boards as Youngstown State beat St. Francis PA 74-65.
• BJ Monteiro scored 27 points and Bill Clark added 17 points, 14 boards, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals as the Dukes beat Canisius in double OT.
• Vlad Moldoveanu scored 26 points and added 8 boards and 4 assists in American's win over DePaul.
  

Continue reading...

2009-2010 Team Preview: Ole Miss Rebels

2008-2009 Record: 16-15, 7-9 SEC (t-9th)

Key Losses: David Huertas (18.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Malcolm White (7.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg)

Key Returners: Chris Warren (19.1 ppg, 4.0 apg), Terrico White (13.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Zach Graham (8.5 ppg)

Newcomers: Reginald Buckner, DeAngelo Riley

Terrico White had a surprising freshman season before making the U-19 National Team.
(photo credit: daylife)

Mississippi had what you might call a hard luck season in 2008-2009. They lost three players, including star sophomore Chris Warren, to season ending knee injuries, had their coach involved in a potential hate crime after he allegedly beat up a cabbie in Cincinnati, and then leading scorer David Huertas bolted for pro ball in his native Puerto Rico.

But it wasn't all bad for the Rebels. If Warren, Eniel Polynice, and Trevor Gaskins hadn't gone down with their injuries, odds are good that Ole Miss never would have found out how talented sophomore Terrico White is. White has shown a ton of promise, both in winning the SEC Freshman of the Year and during his performance with Team USA this summer. Standing 6'5" and 211 lb, White is a terrific all-around athlete - quick and strong, with some bounce. While he is still a bit toolsy, he knows how to score. If he can improve his understanding of the game - don't settle for as many three's, stop over dribbling, learn off the ball defense - White can be a special player at this level.

What is going to help White the most during his sophomore season is the return of point guard Chris Warren, which will allow White to move back to his more natural off-guard spot. Warren was in the midst of a huge sophomore campaign, averaging 19.6 ppg when he landed awkwardly on a drive to the rim in the last minute of a loss to Louisville. Warren is small (5'11") but quick and crafty with his dribble, knowing how to get his defender off-balance. He can get into the paint and score but, like White, he has a tendency to settle for tough, deep three's too often.

It will also help to get back Eniel Polynice and Trevor Gaskins. In '07-'08, Polynice was arguably the Rebels most versatile player, averaging 10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 4.1 apg. A tough defender and good play maker, Polynice should be an excellent complement to White and Warren in the Rebel's back court. Gaskins was an all-SEC freshman pick in '07-'08, averaging 5.9 ppg. He can shoot the ball pretty well, and will probably be counted on for an offensive spark off the bench. Also expected to see time in the back court is 6'6" wing Zach Graham. Graham is the Rebels best perimeter defender, although during conference play last year he boosted his averaged from 8.5 ppg to 10.8 ppg.

The inside is where the question marks will be for this team. The Rebels will basically be working with a five man rotation. The best of the bunch is probably 6'7" Murphy Holloway. A 225 lb bruiser, Holloway is mostly athleticism right now, but he plays with energy to burn and has shown a developing touch on the interior. I would expect freshman Reginald Buckner to start alongside Holloway. Standing 6'9", Buckner is a phenomenal athlete who was known for his shot-blocking ability in high school. A lefty, Buckner can run the floor like a deer and should provide us with a couple youtube moments this season. Sophomore Terrance Henry and senior DeAundre Cranston should be the first two bigs off the bench for Ole Miss, which JuCo transfer DeAngelo Riley and sophomore Kevin Cantinol should also make a push for minutes.

Outlook: Ole Miss is probably the second most talented team in the SEC West, behind Mississippi State. The Rebels have a very good back court, led by Warren and White. The issue is up front. Holloway is tough, and Buckner could end up being a star at this level, but they really do not go all that deep up. The key to the season is going to be how well Warren, Polynice, and Gaskins recovered from their injuries, and whether or not they can work effectively on the court with White and Graham. I think these guys have an outside shot at making the NCAA Tournament, but they are going to need to have an impressive resume as the play in the SEC West.






Continue reading...

More on the Andy Kennedy Situation

Gary Parrish from CBS Sports has a source within the Ole Miss staff. According to him, this is what happened Wednesday night. From The Thoughts:

According to the source, the coaching staff had a team meeting, finished film and then went out for dinner and drinks Wednesday night in Cincinnati, where Kennedy used to coach. The party was a mixture of Ole Miss coaches, officials and some of Kennedy's friends from Cincinnati, and when it was time to go, the five coaches -- Kennedy and assistants Michael White, Owen Miller, Torrey Ward and Bill Armstrong -- jumped in a cab to take them back to the Marriott across the river in Kentucky.

Kennedy was in the front seat.

The four assistants were in the back.

According to the source, after driving "maybe a tenth of a mile" the cab driver realized there were five people in the car, and he told the coaches that he could not take five passengers. So he stopped, at which point Kennedy and his assistants jumped in another cab, one with a driver willing to take five passengers. At that point, the source said, the first cab driver pulled up beside the second cab driver and started yelling at the second driver "in a foreign language," and then the second cab driver turned to the coaches and asked if they owed the first cab driver money.

The coaches said they did not owe anybody anything because the first driver refused to transport them. Then, according to the source, assistant Torrey Ward, who is black, told the driver to stop talking to the other driver and to get them back to their hotel.

"And then the cab driver turned around and said "Shut the f-ck up, n-gger," the source said. "That's when things got heated."

According to the source, the coaches and cab driver did exchange words, "but nobody hit the driver." The source added that Kennedy and his assistants tried to get out of the cab, but that the driver locked the doors and got on his cell phone, "and we think that's when he called the cops." Eventually, the source said, the driver unlocked the doors and let the coaches out. They then got in a third cab and traveled about a half-mile before the cops pulled the cab over and approached the car.

"The cops said, 'Coach Kennedy, we need you to get out of the car," the source said. "They told him he was under arrest for assault."

According to the source, Armstrong came to the defense of Kennedy, started telling the police "this is bullsh-t" and that Kennedy didn't do anything wrong. That's when Armstrong was arrested, and then White, Miller and Ward waited at the police station for Kennedy and Armstrong to be released.

Also worth noting: There have been reports that Armstrong was kicked out of the Lodge Bar, which preceded the coaches getting in the first cab, but according to the source, that is "100 percent not true." Alex Moller, the general manager of the Lodge Bar, supports that claim. He told the Clarion Ledger newspaper in Mississippi: "The reports that they were kicked out are untrue. They were here, but they left on good terms. As for what happened after they left the bar, I don't know. But there was no incident here."

To be honest, I am leaning towards believing Kennedy on this one. And if the cab driver did in fact drop the N-word, then he has no right to complain about being called "bin Laden".

Here's to hoping this gets solved quickly. Ole Miss has enough problems this year involving injuries. Continue reading...

Ole Miss: 2008-2009 Team Preview

2007-2008 Team Record: 24-11, 7-9 SEC West (3rd)

Key Losses: Dwayne Curtis (14.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg), Kenny Williams (8.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg)

Key Returnees: Chris Warren (15.8 ppg, 4.4 apg), David Huertas (10.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg), Eneil Polynice (10.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.9 apg)

Newcomers: Terrence Henry, Terrico White, Will Bogan, Murphy Holloway, DeAundre Cranston

In the year of the freshman last season, Chris Warren was the best that you never heard about, and maybe the best player in the country you've never heard of. Warren is only (listed at, he looks smaller) 5'10" and 170 lb, but despite his diminutive stature he was able to take over games because of his phenomenal shooting ability. In 35 games last year, Warren hit 103 3's (at a 39% clip), which is already 9th all-time at Ole Miss. Warren had a tendency to take bad shots and make bad decisions (probably a result of a frustrating season coming to an end), but he still had a 1.5:1 a/to while averaging 4.4 apg. Ole Miss will rely heavily on Warren's scoring and playmaking once again next year.

Guards Eneil Polynice, Trevor Gaskins and David Huertas also return. Polynice is a gritty 6'5" athlete and he usually draws the defensive assignment of the other teams best wing player. He is also a solid playmaker as he was second on the team in assists. Huertas and Gaskins are shooters who spread the floor and benefit from the playmaking of Polynice and Warren. Freshman Will Bogan and Terrico White should also compete for time in the backcourt.

The Rebels will have a lot of production to replace on their front line as they lose starters Dwayne Curtis and Kenny Williams. The only returner will be seldom used freshman Malcolm White (6.2 mpg), but Andy Kennedy does bring in a solid class, headlined by 6'9" power forward Terrence Henry, who should immediately be able to contribute for Ole Miss. The Rebels also add 6'7" Murphy Holloway, who is more of a small forward and slasher, and 6'9" JuCo transfer DeAundre Cranston. 6'10" redshirt freshman Kevin Cantinol becomes eligible as well, and could compete for minutes.

Outlook: The biggest issue for Ole Miss will be can they win on the road. Last year they went 16-2 at home and 8-9 everywhere else (1-7 in conference on the road). They return a talented roster which is probably going to be one of the favorites to win the weak SEC West, but they need to be able to win on the road in order to avoid another collapse - they were one of the last unbeatens in the country and didn't even make the NCAA's. Look for a Clemson-like rebound this year. Continue reading...