Wins bring Rebels out from cellar
By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Jan. 26, 2004
In just a week's time, Ole Miss has found a way to turn around what looked to be a debacle of a college basketball season.
The Rebels, who dropped their first three Southeastern Conference games of the year, rattled off a pair of wins last week to improve to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in the SEC.
Ole Miss defeated LSU Wednesday and Alabama Saturday in a pair of home games to re-enter the SEC Western Division race.
Reed and Harper combined for 83 points in Ole Miss' last two games, but the two senior Rebels may have to do even more this week.
Ole Miss leaves the friendly confines of Tad Smith Coliseum to take on No. 9 Kentucky (13-2, 3-1 SEC) in Lexington, Ky., at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be televised by Jefferson Pilot.
The Rebels return home for another Jefferson Pilot-televised game on Saturday, as they host South Carolina in a noon matchup.
While Ole Miss broke out of its losing slump, the 20th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs have discovered how beneficial a loss can be.
MSU (16-1, 5-1 SEC) lost to Kentucky on a freak, last-second play on Jan. 13, and the team has since won its last three games.
Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury has credited a line-up change the team made after the loss, in which center Marcus Campbell comes off the bench and Shane Power, a transfer from Iowa last season, moved into the starting forward spot.
MSU, which will likely move up in the Associated Press top 25 poll after posting wins over LSU, No. 17 Florida and Georgia in the last week and a half, will continue to put its new lineup to the test against Tennessee.
The Bulldogs host the Volunteers, who fell to 10-5 overall in Sunday's 65-62 loss to No. 5 Louisville, in a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday. Tennessee holds a 2-3 mark in SEC play.
MSU hits the road at the end of the week, putting its perfect 8-0 mark away from Humphrey Coliseum on the line against Auburn. The Bulldogs have played seven true road games this year, and they picked up a win as the designated home team against New Orleans on Dec. 16 at the BancorpSouth Center in Tupelo.
MSU is set to tip off against Auburn (11-6, 2-4) at 3 p.m. in the weekend match up.
Unlike its fellow Magnolia State universities, the University of Southern Mississippi (9-7, 2-3 Conference USA) enters the week licking its wounds from the team's last contest.
The Golden Eagles were thrashed 93-66 by No. 6 Cincinnati (14-1, 5-1 C-USA) last Saturday at Reed Green Coliseum.
USM leaves Hattiesburg this week for a pair of conference road games. The Eagles begin with a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, for a 7 p.m. contest against TCU (7-9, 1-4 C-USA) on Wednesday.
USM closes the week against Tulane (7-8, 0-4 C-USA) in a 7:30 p.m. game Saturday in New Orleans.
In the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Mississippi Valley State University (11-5, 5-1 SWAC) will not have to wait long to try and avenge its first conference loss of the season.
The Delta Devils, who lost 61-59 last Saturday to Texas Southern, take on Prairie View A&M (3-12, 3-3 SWAC) at 7:30 tonight in a road game. MVSU hosts Jackson State University (8-8, 6-1 SWAC) in a meeting between the two conference leaders at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
JSU, which defeated Grambling at home 83-64 last Saturday, doesn't have any games schedule before its contest against MVSU.
Alcorn State (4-10, 3-4 SWAC) hosts Alabama A&M (5-9, 3-3 SWAC) tonight at 7:30, and the Braves will take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at home.
