Defense a key for Rebels
By By Carver Rayburn / staff writer
Jan. 21, 2003
OXFORD Ole Miss, fresh off an upset 67-57 victory over LSU in Baton Rouge, will now have their chance to prove themselves to the nation when they host No. 13 Alabama (12-3, 2-2) at Tad Smith Coliseum tonight at 8:00 on ESPN.
The Rebels (10-4, 1-2) struggled out of the gate this season losing to South Carolina on the road and then had a heart braking two-point loss to Tennessee at home. The team that showed up at LSU brought a defense that shut down the hottest shooting team in the SEC.
Now the Rebels are back in Oxford for a three-game-stand against Alabama, Arkansas and arch-rival Mississippi State.
Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes said Monday in his weekly press conference that he believes for the Rebels to be victorious, they must continue playing good defense and adjust to the type of game Alabama will bring to Oxford.
The Rebels will have to take care of Maurice "Mo" Williams and Emmet Thomas if the two Crimson Tide starters continue their three-point shooting parade like they did against Auburn. The two were a combined 5-of-12 from behind the arc in Auburn and are shooting 35 percent and 37 percent on the year respectively.
Defense has been the key for Ole Miss so far this year. The Rebels' "tenacious-D" has held opponents to a SEC best 56.2 points per game. Something has to give way tonight as the Tide brings an average of 70.2 points to the hardwood.
If Ole Miss has its way with Alabama like they have the previous two years in Oxford, the Rebel faithful should leave the Tad Pad happy campers. Ole Miss has beaten the Tide in Oxford 105-71 and 84-56 over the past two seasons.
Ole Miss has been a tough team to beat at home over the past few seasons. The Rebels are an impressive 36-3 in games in Oxford and 15-2 in SEC games since the 2000-2001 season. Winning at home has become something that many Ole Miss fans have come to expect. Barnes does not take the homecourt advantage for granted.
Barnes believes that there is no comfort zone at home and that should tell the rest of the nation how good this league is. He wants his team to play with a sense of urgency in Oxford tonight and forget about where they are playing.
