Rebs, Dogs open SEC play tonight

By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Jan. 7, 2004
Mississippi State is just one win away from its first-ever 12-0 start, but a surging Ole Miss team stands between the No. 22 Bulldogs and history.
The two arch-rivals will meet at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford at 7 p.m. in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
The Rebels enter the game winners of their last six games after an unimpressive 2-3 start. Ole Miss' last loss came on Dec. 6 to Memphis, and since then, the Rebels have beaten opponents by an average of 15 points.
After stumbling out of the gate in its first five games, Ole Miss has improved on both ends of the floor. The Rebels are shooting 49 percent during their winning streak, compared to 41.3 percent before. Ole Miss is also holding opponents to 54.2 points per contest, where the Rebels allowed 64.2 in their first five games.
Ole Miss finished its non-conference schedule with a 65-49 win over East Carolina on Saturday.
Barnes is not the only one who has noticed the Rebels' turnaround so has Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury.
But the 11-0 Bulldogs will present Ole Miss with its toughest match-up of the season. Stansbury's team scored 78.3 points per game in its non-conference slate.
The biggest question mark for Mississippi State may be an issue that its players cannot control the quality of the Bulldogs' opponents. Mississippi State's strength of schedule is ranked 197th out of Division I's 326 teams.
Ole Miss faces the same concern. The Rebels have played the nation's 172nd-hardest schedule.
And no team that Ole Miss has faced presented the size and strength of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have seven players at 6-foot-8 or higher, where the Rebels have just two.
One of those is Justin Reed, Ole Miss' senior forward, who will be the focus of Mississippi State's defense. Reed leads the Rebels with 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and sharpshooter Aaron Harper had added 15.4 points per contest.
The Bulldogs may not give Ole Miss many second chances though, as Mississippi State forward Lawrence Roberts has pulled down 7.6 defensive rebounds per game.
Winsome Frazier has also helped the Bulldogs defense, leading the SEC with 3.1 steals per game.