Swayze Field

Some of you have asked recently about the current conditions at Swayze Field and what is going on. This article should give you a little insight. If you have not been to Swayze Feild or seen it in 2008, you really would not believe the site and would have no idea. But below is a quick look into O-U Stadium.

(UMAA)Ole Miss baseball fans have had the pleasure of enjoying a one-of-a-kind experience when entering Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field, but that atmosphere is about to take a dramatic step forward. Architects are Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons in Jackson, Miss.

“It will be an enormous project with various additions, which will greatly enhance the gameday experience at Ole Miss,” said Athletics Director Pete Boone. Some of the amenities that will be added include 880 club seats between first and third base, as well as an increase in box seats from 400 to approximately 1,700. The overall number of chairback seats will rise from 2,951 to over 6,000, and all current chairbacks will be replaced. Fans will also be able to enjoy concession areas in the stands and additional restroom areas with handicap accessibility.

The outside of the park will be of red brick with a new roof that will be similar to other buildings on campus. The facade will be of a traditional style that Boone said will coincide with the architectural style of Ole Miss.
“In keeping with the look of campus with the red brick, red roof and capstone, Chancellor (Robert) Khayat and I believe that the stadium will be very attractive,” said Boone. “Once you enter campus, you will be able to see a beautiful structure welcoming you to the university.” Average attendance in 2006 was 4,850 with over 10,000 fans filling the park during regional competition, but Boone said these numbers should soar once fans are able to enter the new facility.

“Last year, when you actually count tickets, we had over 9,000 people in the park during the regional games,” he said. “With this increase, I think we will be able to get at least 10,000 and possibly 11,000 people comfortably in the stands during a game.” The expansion will certainly have its advantages in terms of game environment, but it will also play a major role in future success for the baseball program. The facility will open the door for recruiting, as well as an enhanced gameday atmosphere for players.
“When everybody sees the rendering and what’s going to happen, they will see that the stadium is going to be very impressive,” said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. “It’s going to be the nicest stadium in the country, help in recruiting and have that wow effect.” These upcoming changes to Oxford-University Stadium are on the heels of several other recent additions and renovations to the facility. Beginning with the 2006 season, the park received a new scoreboard which contains a large video board capable of showing highlights and replays throughout the course of the game. Before the 2007 season, the outfield area underwent some alterations as Oakes Pavilion in left field was improved and extended through left-center field to allow fans to enjoy the grills and more natural seating of the park. The right field seating was also extended and more picnic areas were built to benefit Ole Miss students. In addition, a new office suite in front of the stadium was completed prior to the season that houses the Rebel coaches and support staff. Bianco said the numerous facility upgrades are further adding to the growing success of the baseball program, which is currently ranked top-10 in the nation.
“We’ve sold out the seats two years in a row and now will be able to sell more tickets and put more people in the stands,” he said. “The atmosphere will continue to grow, and become more electric. It is going to be exciting watching the program continue to build.” With the addition to the stadium, baseball games at Ole Miss will be enhanced for players and fans alike, as they will be able to experience college baseball like none other in the country. With current and future success for the baseball team evident and construction set to take place, going to the ballpark will take on a whole new meaning in Oxford.

“I don’t think there will be a better looking or functioning facility in the nation,” said Boone. “With the quality and feel of this expansion, you won’t be able to get any better. This will be an absolutely gorgeous facility that will make baseball at Ole Miss a truly remarkable event.”

It Takes Two

After another pathetic first half showing by the Ole Miss baskeball team in which they scored only 14 points and were down by as much as 23 the Rebels rallied in the second to lose by 4 points on the road at Kentucky.

The Rebels were pretty cold on the offensive side for most of the first half, just as cold as they were when they left Baton Rouge last Saturday. Andy Kennedy must have had some hot words to say at half time to light a fire in the Rebs. As they came on a hot run in the second half. Midway through Kentucky picked their game back up and built another good lead over the Rebs. However the Rebels did not back down and rallied to cut the lead to two with a chance to win in the final seconds. The Rebels missed a layup to tie the game and a three pointer to win by Trevor Gaskins was long in a final attempt after the Warren missed layup.

All in all the Rebels did not play two halfs of basketball and in the end the first half was the reason they lost the game. I know it was a stretch to still have a chance to make it, but the Rebels had to have that one to impress the committee and to build up the confidence of the team. A win on the road at Rupp will fire up any team, but oh well.

Alabama comes to Oxford this weekend, they are coming off a big win against Arkansas, but they are a pretty weak team whom the Rebels should beat at home. I don't expect that much of a crowd at the game. More people will be in Oxford to watch the baseball game than basketball in my opinion.

(UMAA)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Ole Miss overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to pull within two late with a shot for the win with seven seconds left in the second half, but the comeback fell short as the Rebels dropped a seventh straight SEC road game 58-54 at Kentucky.
Chris Warren led Ole Miss with 25 points in the contest, including 23 in the second half.
Joe Crawford and Patrick Patterson scored 15 points apiece for Kentucky.
Ramel Bradley added 14 points and five rebounds for Kentucky (16-10, 10-3 Southeastern Conference), which moved to within one game of No. 1 Tennessee for first place in the SEC's Eastern Division. The Wildcats play at the Volunteers on Sunday.
Dwayne Curtis had 12 points and 15 rebounds, but the Rebels (18-9, 4-9) remained winless on the road in the SEC and continued their precipitous fall from the Top 25 last month. Ole Miss shot just 31 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 19 times.
Still, the Rebels had a chance to win it after whittling a 23-point deficit to two in the final seconds. Bradley missed a pair of free throws with the Wildcats up 56-54, and Warren raced up the floor. He missed a contested layup, but Curtis grabbed the rebound and threw it out to a wide-open Trevor Gaskins.
Gaskins' 3-pointer, however, was long. Kentucky's Perry Stevenson collected the rebound and handed it to Bradley, who sank two free throws with 7.6 seconds remaining to seal it.

Ole Miss Has Power Full Perfomance

It seems like it is somebody different everyday that is adding hits to our lineup. Obviously the bats will cool off at some point especially as the Rebels play tougher competition, but right now the Rebels are dominating at the plate and performing very well on the mound also with a variety of pitchers.

The season continues this weekend as Indiana State rolls into town.

(UMAA)
OXFORD, Miss. – The Rebel offense continued to produce as six players recorded multiple hits, paced by Logan Power’s 3-for-5 performance that included two home runs, as No. 2 Ole Miss (5-0) defeated Northwestern State (2-3) by a score of 14-1 on Wednesday.

Power led the way with his two home runs and a double as he scored three runs and notched two RBI. He was joined in the offensive outburst by Fuller Smith, who also hit a home run as he went 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs scored.

Freshman southpaw Drew Pomeranz (1-0) picked up the win for the Rebels as the designated pitcher of record, going 3.1 innings as he allowed one run on three hits with four walks and eight strikeouts.

Kyle Broughton (0-1) suffered the loss for Northwestern State as he allowed eight runs, five earned, on eight hits with one walk in his 3.0 innings on the mound.

“We continued to swing the bat well and we did a good job of capitalizing on opportunities,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “I thought Drew Pomeranz did a good job in his first start and our pitching staff did a good job of continuing to put zeros up on the board despite walking a few more batters than we would like.”

Four other Rebel pitchers saw time on the mound as the staff combined for 15 strikeouts and held the Demons to only two hits in the final 5.2 innings of play.

Rebs Move to 4-0

The bats are red hot right now!

(UMAA)
OXFORD, Miss. – The Rebel offense continued to click on Tuesday as No. 2 Ole Miss (4-0) used a balanced attack to claim a 15-4 win over Northwestern State (2-2) at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

Brett Basham and Jordan Henry paced the Rebel offense as both players tallied three hits on the afternoon. Basham was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Henry was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Sophomore right-hander Phillip Irwin (1-0) picked up the win for the Rebels as he worked 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Three other pitchers saw time on the mound to close out the game, highlighted by freshman southpaw Matt Tracy’s five strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work.

Collegiate Baseball P.OW.

(UMAA)Junior right-hander Lance Lynn earned National Pitcher of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball, the publication announced Monday when it released it’s poll. Ole Miss remained at fourth in the Collegiate Baseball rankings and also moved up to fourth in the Baseball Writer’s poll.

Lynn was also named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week by the league office on Monday when it announced its first round of weekly award winners.

Lynn set the tone for the weekend as he struck out 12 batters, including eight straight batters to open the game. In his 5.0 innings on the mound, the right-hander allowed only two hits and held the Golden Gophers scoreless. The 12 strikeouts tied a career-high for the Rebel pitcher.

Rebels #2 in the Land

1.Arizona 2-1
2.Mississippi 3-0
3.UCLA 1-1
4.North Carolina 3-0
5.Missouri 3-0
6.Arizona State 3-0
7.Vanderbilt 2-1
8.Michigan 3-0
9.Miami 3-0
10.South Carolina 2-1
11. Long Beach State 2-1
12. Oregon State 1-2
13.Baylor 3-0
14. Texas 3-0
15.Rice 1-2
16.Virginia 4-0
17.San Diego 1-2
18.Tulane 3-0
19.Clemson 3-0
20.Wichita State 1-0
21.Oklahoma State 4-0
22.San Diego State 2-1
23. Cal State Fullerton 2-1
24.Fresno State 2-2
25.Louisiana-Lafayette 2-2

Setting The Record Straight

I have been meaning to post this for several weeks, but I just wanted everyone to know that does not already that I HATE MEMPHIS STATE. I am still ticked off over the UAB game last week and how it ended. Yes UAB gave it away to them, but the refs did not help either. And to top it off when the game was over a Memphis State player slapped a UAB student in the face on his way off the court.

These guys and their sleeze of a coach, are nothing but a bunch of criminals. They have no class and neither do many of the people associated with this program. Even tonight, after they were warned about the UAB incident, they were taunting the UT team as they were coming out of the tunnel. Thuggery comes to mind.

CDR ticks me off too.

Am I the only one that despises Memphis State basketball??

Another Pathetic Showing

Today was another pathetic showing by the Ole Miss mens basketball team possibly one of the worst in Andy Kennedy's tenure. The team could not throw it in the ocean. It continues to amaze me how many lay ups and put backs our big men miss, it is UNBELIEVABLE.

All around pathetic effort and showing today. LSU is a terrible team that had no business beating us as bad as they did. But when you play as poorly as we did today, the school for the blind could beat us. Not much else to say.

(UMAA Notes)

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- With 27.1-percent shooting, Ole Miss never got on track Saturday in a 69-49 loss at LSU. David Huertas was the leading Rebel scorer with nine points to go with 10 rebounds. Eniel Polynice was also in double-digit boards with 11.
Marcus Thornton scored 17 points, and Anthony Randolph had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers (10-16, 3-9 Southeastern Conference). Chris Johnson had 12 points and 15 rebounds for LSU, while Terry Martin added 11 points.
Chris Warren scored eight for Ole Miss (18-8, 4-8). His 3-pointer with a little under eight minutes remaining in the game gave him 396 points on the season, a new freshman record for the Rebels. He surpassed Joe Harvell, who scored 395 points during his freshman season of 1989-90.
LSU put the game away with a 13-0 run midway through the second half.

Cookie and Cliff

You want proof that baseball season is back, look no further than Cookie and Cliff above, two staples of the Ole Miss baseball fan base. By all reports it is a cold weekend in Oxford, so cold that Matt N. will not even take his shirt off at the game. Thanks to Sparky for snapping the pic above, and for those of you that braved the cold weather this weekend.

2 In the Books

The Rebel baseball season is underway and by all indications from the first two games, the Rebels are ready to roll again this year. The pitiching was outstanding the first game with a game tieing record for strikeouts at 21 and the bats came out today for the Rebels as they scored 22 runs against the Gophers.

All reports out of Oxford say this team is looking good and is very deep at multiple positions. A possible loss to Matt Smith a firstbaseman and pitcher that was in to close the game yesterday in the ninth. Smith hurt his arm during a pitch. Hate to see it happen this early in the season for him.

(Game One UMAA Notes)
OXFORD, Miss. – Lance Lynn tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts, including the first eight batters he faced, as Ole Miss (1-0) struck out 21 total batters en route to an 8-1 win over Minnesota (0-1) on Friday.

The 21 strikeouts tied a single-game record for the Rebels. Ole Miss last struck out 21 batters in a game against Arizona on March 3, 2001 in a 17-inning game.

Lynn (1-0) picked up the win as he worked 5.0 scoreless innings and allowed only two hits with the 12 strikeouts. Scott Bittle also turned in 3.0 innings of work and allowed only one hit with seven strikeouts, while Justin Cryer closed out the final inning with two strikeouts and one hit. Cryer came on to relieve Matt Smith, who left the game with an injury in the top of the ninth.

Tom Buske (0-1) suffered the loss for the Golden Gophers as he allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.

Michael Guerrero and Logan Power paced the Rebel offense as Guerrero went 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBI off a home run to left field, while Power went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Cody Overbeck and Jordan Henry also tallied two hits each.

(Game 2 UMAA Notes)
OXFORD, Miss. – In control of the game early, Ole Miss (2-0) exploded with a 10-run fifth inning that was highlighted by a Brett Basham grand slam to power past Minnesota (0-2) by a score of 22-5 on Saturday at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

Leading 11-2 heading into the fifth inning, the Rebels exploded at the plate with Basham’s grand slam sandwiched between a pair of home runs from Cody Overbeck as the Rebels batted around and took the game firmly in hand.

Cody Satterwhite (1-0) picked up the win as he struck out three and walked three while allowing three hits and two unearned runs in his 5.0 innings on the mound.

Kyle Carr (0-1) suffered the loss for the Golden Gophers as he allowed seven runs on three hits with four walks and a strikeout in 2.0 innings on the mound. Only five of the seven runs were earned.

Overbeck paced the Rebels at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance, including a pair of home runs, as he came up with four runs scored and four RBI.

The Rebels tallied 19 hits on the afternoon, including the three home runs.

Gophers???

First pitch is less than 24 hours away as the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This is a pretty tough matchup for opening day, but the type of non conference schedule that has become the norm under coach Mike Bianco. The Gophers were a 42 win team last year and were eliminated in the San Diego regional last summer.

A couple of notes for opening day:

• The Rebels have won 26 season openers in a row.
• Ole Miss is 3-0 all time against the Gophers
• Gary Darby will return the radio booth this year, replacing Richard Cross. I thought Cross was very knowledgeable in baseball and was good at what he did, I hated to see him go. With that being said, Darby was also a good baseball analyst last time he was in the booth, I am glad to see him return.

PLAY BALL!!!!

Talk About A Playmaker

One of the best players in Ole Miss basketball in the last twenty years will be honored at the SEC Tournament in March as an SEC Legend. The forward from Gosnell, Ark(also home of Jermey Parnell) was a great one and played on my favorite teams ever. He was a teammate of a great one who this blog is named after. As noted below Harvell outscored Shaq to win the SEC title during the 92 season.

(UMAA/SEC Release)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – He finished his college career in 1993 as one of the top scorers in Ole Miss and Southeastern Conference basketball history, and 15 years later Joe Harvell is part of the 2008 class of the Chick-fil-A SEC Basketball Legends to be honored at the conference tournament March 13-16 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

In his rookie season of 1989-90, Harvell earned Freshman All-America honors, and he earned All-SEC accolades for the next three years as the scoring machine racked up 2,078 career points, which still ranks among the top 20 totals in league history and second on the Ole Miss charts. As a freshman, the Gosnell, Ark., native was the SEC Tournament's leading scorer while helping Ole Miss to the championship game. In his junior season he topped the SEC with 25.0 points per game, edging LSU's Shaquille O'Neal for the scoring title.

Harvell is now the district manager with Dunlap & Kyle Co., overseeing several Gateway Tire stores in the Memphis area.

The 2008 class also includes Leon Marlaire, Alabama; Corliss Williamson, Arkansas; Wesley Person, Auburn; Dan Cross, Florida; Hugh Durham, Georgia; Kyle Macy, Kentucky; Frank Brian, LSU; Wiley Peck, Mississippi State; Ronnie Collins, South Carolina; Bernard King, Tennessee and Barry Goheen, Vanderbilt.

Each Chick-fil-A SEC Basketball Legend will be recognized at halftime of his institution's first game at the tournament.

Well, Well, Well

The Rebels returned to a team of old last night as they defeated the Bulldog$ in front of a reported outstanding crowd at Tad Smith Coliseum. The game was not on tv so I can only report from listening to Yellum.

It sounded like Kennedy made a good move by switching Polynice to the #1 guard and Warren playing the #2 for alot of the game. This seemed to light a spark in both of these guys. By all reports this Rebel team was hustling, diving for balls, and playing DEFENSE. Something that has been missing for the past several games.

The loss does not mean too much for M$U they pretty much have the West wrapped up. What it will mean for the Rebels is yet to be told. They travel to LSU this weekend and a win there could give them 19 wins on the season and the first road SEC win of the year. The Rebels will have to finish red hot to make the dance. I will be very interested to see how they respond. I will not ginx the Rebs with a preview of the LSU game.

(UMAA Notes)

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Ole Miss used a suffocating defense and took advantage of a loud Tad Smith Coliseum in a 74-63 win over in-state rival Mississippi State Wednesday night.
Chris Warren scored 22 points, Dwayne Curtis had 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds and Ole Miss held Mississippi State to 38.3 percent shooting. The win split the season series and kept the Rebels' long-shot hopes for a Southeastern Conference Western Division title rolling.
Ole Miss (18-7, 4-7 SEC) snapped its four-game losing streak and Mississippi State's three-game winning streak, halting the Bulldogs' sprint away from the division pack. The loss cut Mississippi State's lead over Arkansas to one game and kept the Rebels alive in the race, though they're still four games behind the Bulldogs (17-8, 8-3) in the standings with five games left.
The Rebels picked up a rare win using its defense. They had five blocks, eight steals and limited the Bulldogs to 26.1 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line.
Ole Miss was especially effective in the paint, outscoring Mississippi State 40-28 even though it only got 25 points from its frontcourt of Curtis, Kenny Williams and Jermey Parnell. But Curtis had nearly half of Ole Miss' 41 rebounds and helped keep Mississippi State forward Charles Rhodes below his average with 13 points

Opening Day

Below is your starting lineup for Friday:

C - Brett Basham
1B - Matt Smith
2B - Zach Miller
SS - Evan Button
3B - Cody Overbeck
LF - Logan Power
CF- Michael Hubbard
RF - Jordan Henry
DH- Michael Guerrero
Fr. Pitcher - Lance Lynn
Sat. Pitcher - Cody Satterwhite
Sun. Pitcher - Nathan Baker
Closer -Justin Cryer

It's BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK

Our favorite springtime event is back, no not Dudy Gras, its time for "Ole Miss baseball at Swayze Field" As I told a co-worker the other day, the Grove is great, but nothing beats a good afternoon spent in the outfield at Swayze Field with your group of friends, that atmosphere is hard to beat.

With that being said, as we do before every season in every sport it is time for predictions. I have been asked by longtime readers of WCG to pose the following questions to the group. Please post your predictions in the comments section on the following questions

1. SEC Record (total of 30 games)
(The below are yes/no)
2. Western Division Champs
3. Tourney Champs
4. Regional Host
5. Regional Champion
6. Super Regional Host
7. College World Series

Point of Clarification

I would like to make a point of clarification about my comments below. Yes I am very down on this team right now, and I am very dissapointed about the way they have played and the effort they have given. I am also very down on this staff right now, for not being able to get the intensity out of the players that need be.

However, I still think that Andy Kennedy is a good coach and will do and has done great things for the Ole Miss basketball program. While he has made mistakes, this IS only his third year as a head coach. He has made some mistakes that any young coach would make and will learn from that over time. I feel like he would look back and this season and scratch his head for the rest of his life. I doubt he will ever have a team with the start the Rebels had this year, finish the way they have.

Will I watch the Rebels for the rest of the season? Yes. Will I be as excited? No.

But I have faith in Kennedy at this point and the game and I have 100% confidence in him and his goals for this basketball program. Before all these fools want to go off and fire him, let's wait another two-three years to make that judgement.

What A Joke

What a joke this team has become. I am sick and tired of watching this no effort ball club. There seems to be no effort from the coaches to the players. Players are walking onto the court when the game is getting clutch down the stretch, players are turning it over coming out of timeouts at key points in the game, players can not finish baskets, players CAN NOT play defense. At this point in the season, this team is pathetic.

How you lose to a terrible Auburn team at home is beyond me? I mean we had to know coming into the game, that Auburn was going to go small and run a zone on us just like they did at Auburn. It was obvious they would copy the defense, as it shut the Rebels down, and they did the exact same thing today. Why did not have an adjustment plan in place is beyond me.

When Trevor Gaskins and David Huertas lead you in points, you know it is a bad day for the Rebels. I understand that Chris Warren is a freshman and he was bound to slow down at some point, but he has been slow the past 3 or 4 games and only had two points this afternoon.

All in all it is obvious my feelings. I have alll but given up on this team. Call me a bad fan for not going to the game if you want to, but why should I put my money and effort into going to a game, when the team is not going to give effort when I get there.

It only gets uglier as the Dog$ come to town on Wednesday.

The Story Continues

This interesting story of the Ole Miss men's basketball team continues as they take on the Auburn Tigers at Tad Smith Coliseum. The Rebels had a long winning streak at home until they lost a ridiculous game to South Carolina two weeks ago.

I have no clue what is wrong with this team. It sounds like to me there are alot of internal problems on the team right now that is causing them to lose focus, but then again what do I know. The things I do know, is that I am very down on this team right now. Over the past few weeks they have played like absolute garbage. There is not one single player who you can point a finger at as they have all had bad games over the span.

This team was once one of the hottest teams in the NCAA. Now they are probably the coldest and will not make the NCAA Tourney unless they "find the light" and get on a very hot winning streak. I would not even want to host an NIT at this point, because none of the fans would come.

I saw the Rebels play at Auburn about a month ago. They are more talented than the Tigers are, but like so many times this year, they have not executed well. Other teams seem to want to win more than Ole Miss does.

Who knows who will win this game? The one thing I do know is that if they don't get their act together, they are staring last place dead in the face.

(UMAA)REBELS HOST AUBURN TIGERS Ole Miss will face the return trip of a division foe for the first time this season when Auburn travels to Oxford for Saturday’s regionally televised contest on FSN South. The Rebels dropped an 80-77 decision on the Plains when the two teams met up on Jan. 19. Since that meeting, the Tigers have gone 1-5 and are 0-5 against league foes. Ole Miss is also searching for a win, having gone 2-5 in its last seven contests, including 1-5 in league play. The Rebels have dropped three straight SEC contests, including their most recent 76-67 defeat at Alabama. In conference games this season Ole Miss is 3-1 at home and Auburn owns a 1-3 mark in road contests. The Rebels have not lost four straight league games during Andy Kennedy’s tenure as head coach.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS Auburn is in the midst of a five-game losing skid after a three-game win streak that included a home victory over Ole Miss. The Tigers own a 12-10 overall record and 2-7 mark in league play, putting them tied for fifth in the SEC Western Division. In the recent five-game stretch, Auburn has dropped road games at Alabama and Vanderbilt and home contests versus LSU, Kentucky and Mississippi State. Overall, the Tigers score 70.5 points per game and allow 70.6. They are dead even with opponents at 33.0 rebounds per game. In league play the Tigers have scored 70.6 points and allowed 77.4. Four Auburn players average double figures and are all within 1.1 points of each other - Korvotney Barber (injured - 13.8), Quan Prowell (13.7), Rasheem Barrett (13.6) and Frank Tolbert (12.7). Tolbert tops the squad with 16.7 ppg and 5.9 rpg in league contests.

Just One Week

(UMAA)
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss baseball team was picked to win the Southeastern Conference Western Division, and was one vote away from being picked to win the overall conference title by the league’s coaches, the league office announced on Thursday.

The Rebels received 10 of 12 votes for first place in the Western Division and received four votes as the preseason selection to win the overall conference title behind Vanderbilt, who received five of the 12 votes available.

The preseason selection is another in a line of several for the Rebels, who have been ranked in the top-10 of four polls, including two fourth-place rankings by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.

“It’s flattering for the program to be thought of so highly by the other coaches in our league,” Bianco said. “But, we also realize this is a pre-season poll and we have to go out and take care of business on the field.”

Ole Miss is coming off a third-straight 40-win season in 2007 as the Rebels advanced to an NCAA Super Regional for the third consecutive season. It was the fifth-straight post-season appearance for the Rebels, who are also the only team in the Southeastern Conference to post a winning record in conference play over that same five-year period.

The Rebels will open the season on February 22, when Ole Miss will host Minnesota in a three-game series at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. First-pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.

VERY DISSAPOINTED

I AM SICK OF THIS.......

Rebs Head to Bama

After an ugly game against Presbyterian College last night that saw the Rebels get their 17th win of the season, the team heads on the road to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. Coleman Coliseum has been a tough place for the Rebels to play over the years. The Rebs are currently on a two game SEC losing streak and I do not look for that streak to change tomorrow.

This team is on a downswing and needs something big to get their spirits back in them if they want to make a run at the dance. By all means they are not out the picture and many sportswriters still have them in the dance, except I would put them in the "last four in" category at this point of the season. Based on the way they have played games over the past two and half weeks. A win on the road would be great for this team, however I just do not see it happening tomorrow.

(UMAA Notes)REBELS HEAD BACK TO ALABAMA After squeezing in the final non-conference game of the season Monday vs. Presbyterian, Ole Miss returns to SEC action and a Western Division battle against the Crimson Tide of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels are 3-5 in SEC play and sit in third place in the division, while Alabama owns a 2-7 league record and is tied for fourth in the West. Ole Miss has dropped each of its four league road contests so far, while boasting a 3-1 SEC mark at home. The Rebels return to Alabama less than a month after dropping an 80-77 contest to the Auburn Tigers on the Plains. The Rebels still rank 11th in the nation in team scoring, but have not eclipsed the 80-point mark in the last six contests. The two teams have split the season series in eight of the last nine years.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE Alabama enters the week 13-11 overall and 2-7 in SEC play, which puts the Crimson Tide in a tie for fourth place in the Western Division standings. Alabama is on a two-game losing streak with road losses at Mississippi State and Kentucky. The Tide is 10-5 at home and 1-5 in away games. They own a 2-3 record in league contests at Coleman Coliseum, but are winless away from home in league play at 0-4. As a team, Alabama averages 75.9 points per game, while allowing 72.7 per contest. The Tide’s leader is junior forward Richard Hendrix, the only SEC player averaging a double-double with 19.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He shares the league lead in double-doubles with Ole Miss’ Dwayne Curtis at 12. Alonzo Gee puts up 15.8 points and 7.3 boards per contest, while Mykal Riley adds 13.4 points per game.
THREE-PEAT FRESHMAN HONOR FOR WARREN For the third time this season, Ole Miss point guard Chris Warren has been tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday. The Orlando, Fla., native poured in a career-high 26 points at Arkansas on Saturday, his fourth 20-point performance in league play. He single-handedly kept Ole Miss in the game, scoring 18 points in the second half, including 11 straight for the Rebels in the stretch run to cut a 12-point Razorback lead with just under three minutes remaining to a three-point edge with 51 seconds left in the game. Warren also earned Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 3 and Dec. 24. He is the second SEC freshman to three-peat on the weekly honors, joining Vanderbilt’s A.J. Ogilvy.

The Dissapointment Continues

The dissapointment of SEC play for the Ole Miss basketball team continued this weekend as they lossed to Arkansas 75-69 in Fayetetville. I only watched the first half of the game, due to other obligations, so I did not see how it turned out. All in all it seems that the part of the game I did watch cost us in the end, as the slow start did the Rebs no favors. Yet again, the road struggles continue for Andy's team.

The past few games for the Rebs have seen Chris Warren continue to be the player to hold this team together, as other players have been up and down. The subpar play of Kenny Williams and Eniel Polynice the past couple of games, has not helped the Rebels fight for a victory. These guys need to pull it together and finish the season strong.

Ole Miss will hopefully bounce back in a rare not conference game as they play Presbyterian Christian on Monday night before traveling to Alabama on Wednesday. This team is struggling and is staring a three game SEC losing streak dead in the face.

(UMAA)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Ole Miss battled back from an early hole, but could not finish the road rally against the Arkansas Razorbacks, dropping a 75-69 decision at Bud Walton Arena Saturday. Sonny Weems scored 22 points, including a driving basket with 20.6 seconds remaining that helped Arkansas edge Ole Miss.
The Razorbacks blew an early 14-point lead, extended their advantage to double digits again in the second half, then had to hold on amid a barrage of 3-pointers by the Rebels' Chris Warren.
Warren scored 11 straight points for Ole Miss late in the second half, and his 3-pointer cut Arkansas' lead to three with under a minute remaining. Weems then drove through the middle of the defense and scored on a tough shot near the basket to make it 72-67 with 20.6 seconds to play.
Zach Graham missed at the other end, ending Ole Miss' chance at a comeback.
Patrick Beverley added 17 points and 13 rebounds for Arkansas, which prevailed despite shooting poorly from the perimeter. The Razorbacks (17-5, 6-2 SEC) went 6-of-25 from 3-point range.
Warren alone was 6-of-8 from 3-point range for Ole Miss, and he finished with 26 points.
Arkansas entered the game with three straight Southeastern Conference wins, all by at least 16 points. The Razorbacks appeared on their way to another blowout - after Ole Miss' Eniel Polynice opened the scoring with a layup, Arkansas scored the next 16 points.
Rebels coach Andy Kennedy had to call two timeouts to slow the Razorbacks' momentum, but Ole Miss (16-5, 3-5) slowly crept back in the game. Arkansas led 34-29 after going 3-of-16 from 3-point range in the first half.

The Late Show

In case you missed it, here it is:

Eli on Letterman

Rebels Make It 9 in a Row

Chalk another one up for the Ole Miss men's tennis team as they defeated the M$U Bulldogs for the ninth straight time in the Mississippi Cup. The Number 5 ranked men's team shut out the Bulldogs 4-0 in tonights match.

The dynasty continues.

Nutts First Class

Well signing day is all but over. It was about as I expected it to be for the Rebels, we lost some on the last day and we gained some. From the major recruiting websites, the Rebel signing class is where most thought they would wind up ranked in the mid 2o's and low 30's among the NCAA signing classes. The Rebels had a great pick up in running back Enrique Davis, the number one ranked prep school player in America.

The only commit left unsigned is Tig Barksdale, who has not made up his mind if he wants to accept the academic road that Ole Miss has laid out for him. Tig will either sign with the Rebels or sign with NWCC to play next year. Either way I doubt this guy will be on the field for the Rebels next year due to academic battles he has to face.

It really is a sad story what goes on at South Panola, you would think one of these days someone is going to hire a real good academic counselor to teach these kids and that the coaches are going to stay on top of these kids to make their grades. I know it is not just USP, and that it goes on everywhere. But year after year some of the most talented kids in the state do not make it to play in various SEC schools due to their poor grades from South Panola.

Oh well, all and all some ups and downs, but seems to be a pretty decent class and this is what many of Nutt's signing classes will look like while he is at Ole Miss.


Ferbia Allen DE/TE 6-5 225 Pine Bluff, Ark. (Dollarway)
Brandon Bolden RB 5-11 215 Baton Rouge, La. (Scotlandville Magnet)
Enrique Davis RB 6-1 215 Lynn Haven, Fla. (A. Crawford Mosley; Hargrave)
E.J. Epperson TE 6-3 230 Humboldt, Tenn. (High)
Brandon Green* OL 6-2 315 Southaven, Miss. (High; Northwest Miss. C.C.)
H.R. Greer FB 6-0 225 Olive Branch, Miss. (Southern Baptist)
Andrew Harris WR 6-2 195 St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg Catholic; Hargrave)Gerald Harris* TE 6-5 245 Terrell, Texas (Terrell; Navarro College)
Melvin Harris WR 6-6 185 Buford, Ga. (High)
Aaron Hawkins OL 6-3 315 Lithonia, Ga. (Martin Luther King)
Lekenwic Haynes DB 6-3 200 Rosenberg, Texas (B. F. Terry)
Derrick Herman DB 5-11 185 Cleveland, Miss. (High)
Jason Jones LB 6-2 220 Albany, Ga. (Westover)
Randall Mackey ATH 6-1 180 Bastrop, La. (High)
Demareo Marr DB 6-2 180 Southaven, Miss. (DeSoto Central; Northwest Miss. C.C.)Hunter Miller DB 6-1 185 Sherwood, Ark. (Sylvan Hills)
Jared Mitchell* DB 6-3 190 Chesterfield, Mo. (Parkway Central; Hargrave)
Gerald Rivers DE 6-5 240 Ellenwood, Ga. (Cedar Grove)
Brandon Sanders DB 6-0 190 Suwanee, Ga. (Peachtree Ridge)
Justin Smith DL 6-4 280 Alpharetta, Ga. (Chattahoochee)
Nathan Stanley QB 6-5 195 Tahlequah, Okla. (Sequoyah)
Emmanuel Stephens* DE 6-2 220 Houston, Texas (Waltrip; Blinn C.C.)
Andre Sterling RB 5-10 200 Knoxville, Tenn. (Farragut)
Joshua Tatum OL 6-5 315 Marbury, Ala. (Marbury)
Devin Thomas RB 5-11 195 San Antonio, Texas (Madison)
Patrick Trahan LB 6-3 225 New Orleans, La. (St. Augustine; Auburn;Northwest Miss. )Kermit Tyler OL 6-4 335 New Orleans, La. (L.W Higgins)
Julian Whitehead* DB 5-10 180 Lilburn, Ga. (Parkview; Hargrave)
Chris Wilkes QB 6-4 220 Orlando, Fla. (Dr. Phillips)
Horatio Williams WR 6-2 175 Oxford, Miss. (High)
Rudy Wilson DB 6-0 200 Port Orange, Fla. (Mainland; Hargrave)

Signing Day

Well unless you have been living under a bus lately, you know that national signing day is tomorrow. It is something that grown men live and worship by for several months each year. It goes without saying that the Ole Miss faithful will build itself up to having a great recruiting class around the first few weeks of January and by the time the first week in February rolls around the class has fallen apart. It does not seem like it will be as drastic this year, as the Rebels have pretty much wrapped up their recruiting class going into the final day.

I predict the class will be ranked around 28-30 when all is said and done, which is fine by me. This is pretty standard with Houston Nutt signing classes. There are the few crazy fans out there that live and die by recruiting who will say this is not a good class, however I will wait and judge on the class at a later date. After all Patick Willis was a nobody coming out of high school.

I am interested in the opinions of those that follow recruiting closely on their ideas of the class, as well as the loyal Bulldog$, as I have no idea what their class is like.

Tiki Reports on The Giants

If you haven't seen the below, it is good stuff in my opinion. I truly did not think Tiki would be in Arizona reporting for NBC, but he was there, and he was interviewing guys like Eli in the post game. Notice Eli's quote, "we had the right guys on the field"

On a side note Tiki mentions the number 42 and the significance to the Mara family. There was another former Ole Miss player for the New York Giants that had the same popularity as Eli has, that would be Charlie Conerly. And you guessed it Chunkin Charlie's number was 42.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22992823#22989906

World Champs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eli just proved to the media he is not just Peyton's little brother. I wonder if they still think he is not a quarterback that does not have the respect of his team. This Giant team and Eli just proved Troy Aikman wrong.

The completion in the last drive from Eli to David Tyree was one of the most outstanding plays I have ever seen.

The G-Men are World Champs, suck on that Troy and Tiki.

Pathetic

The Rebels were defeated in a pathetic loss this weekend to South Carolina 80-77. TI do not have much to say about this game as I am still pretty ticked off about the loss. The Gamecocks came in and wanted this game more than the Rebels in my opinion. There were several players for the Rebels that did not step up and play there normal game and it showed.

A couple of things that stick out in my mind:

• Dwayne Curtis followed up a sub par game with an excellent game contributing over 20 points
• Zach Graham put up some valuable minutes for the Rebs and is quickly becoming a big contributor in the Rebels lineup
• Saturdays game was not the first one where the Rebels needed a basket in the last seconds of the game and everyone freaked out from coaching staff to players. Hindsight is great, but Warren is known for taking the ball to the basket and laying it up or drawing a foul. Why he didn't do this I have no idea
• I have never seen big men shoot the three like South Carolina did. Those big guys were draining threes all day. In the end it is what gave them the win.
• The Rebels continue to struggle from the charity stripe and it continues to kill them when the final score comes around.

On a side note the crowd was pathetic in my opinion. I hate the fact Ole Miss will not support its basketball program. Someone give me one reason why we can not get 9,300 fans at a Saturday afternoon game in Oxford. I truly do not understand. The one thing I do understand is why the coaching staff is frustrated with "the culture of basketball" at Ole Miss.

All in all this one hurts and should never happen at home. It will be a loss that will truly come into play when the SEC west is decided and NCAA bids are given.