Tip Off Set For 7 PM
Ole Miss (3-0) vs. McNeese State (1-2)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: Tad Smith Coliseum (8,867)
Television: None
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Carter, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Live Video: OleMissSports.com
Satellite Radio: Sirius 106, XM 2201
Series: Ole Miss leads 7-1
TIP OFF
• Freshman Derrick Millinghaus scored a career-high 19 points with five assists and Ole Miss outscored UALR 45-19 in the second half en route to a 92-52 win on Friday night.
• The Rebels have scored 90-plus points in three-straight games for the first time since 2007-08 and lead the SEC averaging 91.7 ppg.
• Junior Marshall Henderson has started his Rebel career averaging an SEC-best 22.0 ppg over the first three contests and has hit 16-of-34 attempts from behind the three-point arc. The 49 points he scored his first two games is the most by a Rebel to start his career since “World Class” Gerald Glass scored 59 points to start his career in 1988.
• Senior F Murphy Holloway grabbed seven rebounds vs. UALR, which moved him into seventh-place in Ole Miss history with 773 boards. He is just one rebound shy of tying Dwayne Curtis (774) for sixth in school history.
• With three blocks vs. UALR, senior F Reginald Buckner moved into a tie with Leon Douglas of Alabama for 15th in SEC with 235 career blocks. Buckner is just six blocks shy of tying Mamadou N’diaye of Auburn for 14th with 241 blocks.
KENNEDY EYEING CAREER WIN 150
Head coach Andy Kennedy needs just one more win to notch his 150th career victory. Kennedy is 149-91 (.620 winning pct.) in his eighth season as a head coach.
HENDERSON OFF TO A HOT START
Junior G Marshall Henderson was known as a scorer when coach Andy Kennedy signed the guard out of South Plains Junior College, and the Hurst, Texas native has definitely lived up to that billing. In the first three games of the season, as he is averaging an SEC-best 22.0 ppg. Henderson scored a game-high 22 points in the season opener versus Mississippi Valley State, hitting 5-of-11 from behind the arc and becoming the first Rebel to nail five 3-pointers in a game since Dundrecous Nelson in 2011. He finished the game 6-of -12 from the field and added two steals and an assist in his first collegiate start. In his second game vs. Coastal Carolina, Henderson poured a game-high 27 points, including 6-of-13 from three, and added four assists, two rebounds and two steals. The 49 points Henderson scored in his first two games is the most by a Rebel to start his career since “World Class” Gerald Glass scored 59 points in his first two games in 1988.
HOLLOWAY IS MASTER OF THE GLASS
Entering his final season at Ole Miss F Murphy Holloway has broken into the school’s top 10 for career rebounds. With seven rebounds versus UALR, Holloway overtook Justin Reed for seventh place on the Rebels’ all-time chart with 773 career boards. He trails Dwayne Curtis (774) by one board for sixth on the all-time list. Holloway is the SEC active career leader in rebounds and double-doubles, and ranks fifth among active players in points.
BUCKNER MOVES UP IN SEC CAREER BLOCKS LIST
Senior F Reginald Buckner became the Rebels’ all-time career leader in blocked shots last year. In just 99 games, the Memphis native has now accumulated 235 blocks, which is tied for 15th in SEC history with Leon Douglas of Alabama. He trails Mamadou N’diaye, of Auburn, by just six blocks for 14th on the list. The school record was previously held by Sean Murphy, who had 180 blocks in 117 games from 1988-91. Buckner’s 2.2 average last season ranked fifth among SEC players and 41st in the nation. He now holds the school record for blocks in a career, season and game. He blocked at least one shot in 29 of 31 games last year and 82 of 95 games over his three-year career. His total of 69 blocks last season is the Ole Miss record by a junior and is the second-most in a season in school history. His sophomore season total of 95 is the school record.
RETURNING REBELS
• Ole Miss returns four full-time starters from last year’s squad (Nick Williams – 32 , Murphy Holloway – 30, Jarvis Summers – 30, Reginald Buckner – 25) that started a combined 117 games last season and boasts 228 career starts.
• Who are the Rebels’ top returning statistical leaders? Murphy Holloway in scoring (11.2 ppg), rebounding (9.0 rpg) and steals (1.6 spg), Reginald Buckner in blocked shots (2.2 bpg) and Jarvis Summers in assists (3.4 apg). Ole Miss returns 67.2 percent of its scoring and 67.1 percent of its rebounding from a year ago.
• Sophomore guards Jarvis Summers and LaDarius White finished the 2011-12 season on a tear, with Summers averaging 14.5 ppg over his final six games and White posting 11.8 ppg over his final five contests.
• Senior forward Reginald Buckner already holds the Ole Miss career record in blocked shots (231) and ranks sixteenth in SEC history in that category. The Memphis, Tenn., native became the first player in school history to be named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in back-to-back seasons last year.
REBELS FORCING OPPONENTS’ HAND
Ole Miss has forced 62 turnovers in the first three games for an average of 20.7 turnovers per game, The Rebels have 31 steals compared to only 37 turnovers this season. Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in turnover margin at +8.33 and third in steals.
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
McNeese State comes to Oxford with a 1-2 overall record after beating Louisiana College to start the year before falling at LSU and at Southeast Missouri. The Cowboys return two starters off last year’s squad that posted a 17-16 record and a 10-6 mark in Southland play., before advancing to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Senior point guard Dontae Cannon leads the team averaging 14.5 ppg, while sophomore guard Kevin Hardy is close behind with 14.0 ppg and Desharick Guidry has a team-high 6.5 rpg.
REMEMBER NOVEMBER
In seven seasons under head coach Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss has racked up a 33-6 record in November games, including a 3-0 mark this season and a 6-1 record last year.
DEFENDING HOME COURT
Winning at home has been a trademark of Andy Kennedy’s squads since he took the reins in 2006-07. Ole Miss is 87-18 (.827 win pct.) in games played at Tad Smith Coliseum during Kennedy’s tenure, including a 3-0 record this season. Ole Miss has won 218 of its last 268 games (.813 win pct.) in Oxford dating back to the 1995-96 campaign. The Rebels have an all-time record of 451-197 (.696 win pct.) at Tad Smith Coliseum, which opened in 1965-66.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Rebels boast a 78-21 record (.786 win pct.) against teams outside the SEC since Andy Kennedy took over in 2006-07, including a 54-2 mark at home. The Rebels are 3-0 versus non-conference foes this year.
PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Ole Miss was predicted to finish seventh in the SEC in the preseason media poll. The league eliminated the East and West divisions for the 2011-12 season. Kentucky was tabbed league champion, followed by Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and Ole Miss. Rounding out the predictions were Georgia, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, LSU, Auburn, South Carolina and Mississippi State. Athlon also tabbed Murphy Holloway to the national All-Underrated first team.