Ole Miss seeks first SEC win

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Jan. 16, 2004
After a six-day break, Ole Miss returns to the basketball court on Saturday.
The Rebels (8-5, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) will be looking to score their first conference win against the Arkansas Razorbacks (8-6, 0-3 SEC) in Fayetteville, Ark.
Despite a 20-point performance from Justin Reed in the squad's last contest, Ole Miss was blown out by the Auburn Tigers 80-53 last Saturday. It was the second largest margin of victory in the two teams' 107-game history.
Auburn outrebounded Ole Miss in the win 40-20, and the Rebels were held to 42 percent shooting for the game.
Arkansas is also looking for its first win in SEC action. The Razorbacks fell to Alabama last Wednesday 81-65 in their third conference game of the season.
The Rebels have found success recently when playing on the Razorbacks' home floor in Bud Walton Arena. Ole Miss has won the last three contests on Arkansas' court, and the Rebels have won the last seven meetings with the Razorbacks.
Barnes is not taking his team's recent success against Arkansas for granted.
Mississippi State University will try to rebound from its first setback of the basketball season on Saturday.
The No. 20 Bulldogs (13-1, 2-1 SEC) had their 13-game undefeated streak snapped at home last Tuesday by
No. 5 Kentucky. The Wildcats won 67-66.
After coming back from double-digit deficits in both the first and second half, MSU fell to Kentucky on a last second layup off a deflection inside the Bulldogs' paint.
The Bulldogs will try to restart their winning ways with the first of back-to-back SEC road games on Saturday when the team tips off against LSU.
LSU (12-1, 2-0 SEC) has yet to lose a game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center this season posting a perfect 8-0 home record. The Tigers are coming off a 68-60 road win over New Orleans last Monday.
The Southern Miss men's basketball team will also be trying to get back on the winning track when the Golden Eagles (8-6, 1-2 SEC) square off against No. 21-ranked Marquette tonight.
Originally scheduled for Hattiesburg, the game, instead, will be played at the 10,600-seat Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis., as part of a weekend college basketball promotion at the facility. Wisconsin-Green Bay is scheduled to play UW-Milwaukee in a Saturday night game.
USM fell to St. Louis 56-55 last Tuesday in a road game, after the Eagles pulled off an upset at home over Memphis last Saturday. Marquette (11-3, 2-1 C-USA) is also coming off a loss, falling to No. 7 Cincinnati 85-73 last Wednesday.
In women's college basketball action, the Lady Eagles (13-1, 1-0 C-USA) host Charlotte tonight and square off against East Carolina in a Sunday afternoon home game.
The Ole Miss Lady Rebels and the MSU Lady Bulldogs (5-9, 0-2 SEC) will clash in a conference match up on Sunday at the C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum on Sunday. Ole Miss warmed up for the in-state rivalry game taking on Alabama on Thursday. The Lady Rebels held a 10-6 overall record and a 1-1 conference mark before taking on the Lady Tide.