Ole Miss Game Notes vs. #13 La Salle

Date: Sunday, March 24, 2013
Time: 6:40pm CT
Location: Kansas City, Mo.
Arena: Sprint Center (18,972)
Television: TruTV
Marv Albert, play-by-play
Steve Kerr, analyst
Craig Sager, reporter
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Carter, analyst
National Radio: Dial Global Netowrk
Kevin Calabro, play-by-play
Will Perdue, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Satellite Radio: XM 192, Sirius 94
Series: Ole Miss leads 1-0
Last meeting: OM W, 84-77 (12-21-07)

(Don McPeak/USA Today)
Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss will go for their first Sweet 16 appearance in school history since 2001 on Sunday against La Salle.

TIP OFF

• Ole Miss has advanced to the NCAA Round of 32 for the first time since 2001 and just the third time in school his tory. The Rebels are seeking just the second trip to the Sweet Sixteen in school history.
• The Rebels are making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and the first since 2002.
• Ole Miss has tied the 2000-01 squad’s school record with 27 victories this season.
• With the victory over Auburn, head coach Andy Kennedy passed B.L. Graham for the most wins in Ole Miss
history. Kennedy’s record at Ole Miss is 152-86 in seven seasons, while Graham posted a 144-168 mark over 13 seasons as head coach.
• Senior F Murphy Holloway is the 21st player in SEC history with at least 1,400 points and 1,000 rebounds. Holloway holds the all-time Ole Miss rebounding mark at 1,080 career boards and has tied the Ole Miss single- season rebounding mark with 337 rebounds this season.
• Junior G Marshall Henderson passed Chris Warren for the Ole Miss single season 3-point field goal record with 134 3FG on the year and has tied the SEC single-season mark.
• Senior F Reginald Buckner has moved into fifth place in SEC history with 324 career block shots.
• The Rebels notched 20 wins for the sixth time in seven seasons under Andy Kennedy. Ole Miss had seven 20-win campaigns in the 96 seasons prior to Kennedy’s arrival in Oxford. He is the fifth coach in SEC history to guide his teams to 20+ wins in six of his first seven seasons in the league.

OLE MISS ADVANCES TO NCAA ROUND OF 32
After winning the 2013 SEC Tournament Championship game, Ole Miss has advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and the first since 2002. The Rebels have advanced to the NCAA Round of 32 for the first time since 2001 and for just the third time in school history. Ole Miss is seeking its second Sweet Sixteen appearance ever.

REBELS TIE WINS MARK
With 27 wins this year, the Rebels have tied the 2000-01 squad for the most wins in school history. That season Ole Miss won 27 games and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Ole Miss also tied the ‘97-98 squad with a school-record 12 league wins this season.
The Rebels finished the regular season in a tie for second place in the SEC standings after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason media poll. It is the highest finish for Ole Miss since finishing second overall in 1997-98. Ole Miss started SEC play 6-0 for the first time in school history this year.

SEC CHAMPS
Ole Miss claimed its first SEC Tournament Championship since 1981 and just the second SEC Tourney title in school history with a come-from-behind victory over the Florida Gators on Sunday. Junior G Marshall Henderson was named the SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player and was named to the All-Tournament team. He was joined on the All-Tournament squad by senior F Reginald Buckner and Murphy Holloway.

REBELS WIN 20 … AGAIN
The Rebels have notched 20 wins for the sixth time in seven seasons under Andy Kennedy. Ole Miss had seven 20-win campaigns in the 96 seasons prior to Kennedy’s arrival in Oxford. He is the fifth coach in SEC history to guide his teams to 20+ wins in six of his first seven seasons in the league. The others: Dan DeVoe (Tennessee), Joe. B. Hall (Kentucky), Rick Pitino (Kentucky), Tubby Smith (Georgia/Kentucky). Kennedy is also the first coach in Ole Miss history to win 20 games in four-straight season and senior F Reginald Buckner is the first Rebel to win 20 games each of his four seasons in Oxford.

OLE MISS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Rebels are making their seventh appearance in the Big Dance and sport a 4-6 mark in the NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss’ last appearance came in 2002 in the West Region in Pittsburgh, where the Rebels dropped a opening round game to UCLA. The five other appearances came in 1981, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001.

KANSAS CITY SWEET TO THE REBELS
While Ole Miss is playing in just its seventh NCAA Tournament in school history, three of those appearances have included a trip to Kansas City where the team has a 3-0 record. The Rebels opened the 2001 NCAA Tournament in Kansas City, winning the first two rounds against Iona and Notre Dame en route to the school’s only Sweet Sixteen appearance. Kansas City was also the host site for Ole Miss’ trip in 1997, where the Rebels lost in the first round to Temple.

KENNEDY NAMED SEC COACH OF THE YEAR
Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy, the winningest coach in school history, was recently named the SEC Coach of the Year by NBCSports.com after guiding the Rebels to a 27-8 record, a 12-6 league mark and the SEC Tournament Championship. Ole Miss, which finished tied for second in the regular season league standings, was predicted seventh in the preseason media poll and made the highest jump from preseason predictions by moving up five places in the final standings.

TRIO OF REBELS EARN SEC HONORS
Rebels Reginald Buckner, Marshall Henderson and Murphy Holloway recently all earned SEC postseason honors. Henderson was voted the SEC Player of the Year by CBSSports.com, the SEC Newcomer of the Year by the AP, first team All-SEC by Blue Ribbon College Basketball and NBCSports.com, second team all-conference by the AP and the league’s coaches and All-District honors from the USBWA, while Holloway also earned first team All-SEC honors from Blue Ribbon and second-team accolades from the AP and the league’s coaches. Buckner was voted to the SEC All-Defensive squad by the league’s coaches for the third-straight year.

NOT HIS FIRST DANCE
While this may be Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy’s first NCAA appearance as a head coach, he made five trips to the Big Dance as an assistant – four at Cincinnati and one at UAB – and two trips as a player.

HOLLOWAY IS MASTER OF THE GLASS
In his final season in Oxford, F Murphy Holloway has become Ole Miss’ all-time rebounding leader with 1,080 career boards. Holloway is the SEC active career leader in rebounds and double-doubles, ranks second in steals and third in points. He ranks first in the conference and 24th in the nation in rebounding at 9.6 rpg. Holloway became only the 21st player in SEC history to score at least 1,400 points and pull down 1,000 boards in their career, a list that includes Shaquille O’Neal, Dan Issell, Bob Pettit and Bernand King. With eight more steals, Holloway would become the first player in SEC history with 1,400 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 steals in a career.

HENDERSON HOT SHOOTER
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 so far this season, as he is averaging a team-best 20.0 ppg. He leads the SEC and ranks third in the nation in 3-pointers made (3.9 pg) and leads the conference in scoring. 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 1988. Against Indiana State, he posted 27 points on 7-of-16 from 3-point range, which is just one 3-pointer shy of the school record and is tied for fourth all time. Henderson scored a career-high 32 points in the SEC opener at Tennessee, which is the most points scored by a Rebel in their first league game since Ole Miss great Johnny Neumann scored 39 versus Auburn in 1970. Henderson earned SEC Player of the Week honors after averaging 21.0 ppg in a pair of wins at Vanderbilt and against Arkansas. Against the Commodores, he scored a game-high 26 points, including a 35-foot buzzer beater that sent the game into overtime. Versus the Vols, Henderson scored a career-high 24 second half points to spur a Rebel rally and help Ole Miss knock off Tennessee at home. On the road at No. 4 Florida, he scored a game-high 25 points, including hitting on 7-of-11 shots from behind the arc. Against Mississippi State the junior posted 31 points, on 6-of-14 from 3, and dished out four assists. He scored 25 points, including 14 in the final 3:36 of regulation to force overtime, in the Rebels’ come-from-behind win against Georgia. Henderson was a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line, which is the second-best mark in school history behind Denver Brackeen’s record of 15-of-15 in 1955. He tied the school record for 3-pointers in a game after hitting 8-of-12 attempts and scoring 28 points versus Auburn.

HENDERSON TOPS 3-POINTER CHART
In his first season in Oxford, junior G Marshall Henderson has already climbed to the top of the 3-pointer season charts, as he currently ranks first on the Ole Miss single-season list for 3-point field goal attempts (379) and first in 3-pointers made (134). Henderson ranks first in SEC history for attempts in one season and is tied for first on the SEC season-single list for 3-point field goals. The NCAA record for attempts in a season is 380 by Kevin Foster, of Santa Clara, in 2011. The junior has hit a 3-pointer in every game this season.

KENNEDY’S FIRST SEVEN YEARS RANKS AMONG ALL-TIME SEC GREATS
Head coach Andy Kennedy has moved passed Billy Donovan and Rick Stansbury for the fourth-most wins by a head coach in their first seven years in the league at one school.
1. Rick Pitino (Kentucky) – 184
2. Wimp Sanderson (Alabama) – 155
3. Joe B. Hall (Kentucky) – 154
4. Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss) – 152
5. Billy Donovan (Florida) – 149
Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State) – 149

OLE MISS VERSUS THE EXPLORERS
Ole Miss and La Salle have met just one time on the hardwood, with the Rebels knocking off the Explorers 84-77 at the San Juan Shootout in 2007. The Rebels led 42-29 at halftime, but a 9-0 run by La Salle early in the second half cut the Ole Miss lead and spurred the Explorers to tie the score seven times and make six lead changes. Eniel Polynice topped Ole Miss with 20 points, including 14 in the second half. Chris Warren added 19 points with 12 coming in the second period. Dwayne Curtis and David Huertas each chipped in 14 in the winning effort.

COMMON FOES
The Rebels and the Explorers did not met on the court this year, but do share one common opponent this season in the Fordham Rams. Ole Miss knocked off Fordham 95-68 on Jan. 4 in the Rebels’ final non-conference game before SEC play , while La Salle defeated the Rams 89-53 at home in February in Atlantic-10 play.

FAMILIAR FACE
Although the Rebels and the Explorers haven’t met since 2007, La Salle G Ramon Galloway is a familiar face to Ole Miss as Galloway started his career at South Carolina and played two seasons for USC. As a freshman, Galloway played 31 minutes and scored 11 points in a 66-57 loss in Oxford. He faced the Rebels twice as a sophomore, as he scored 15 points in a 79-73 home win and added a career-high 17 points in the Rebels’ 66-55 victory in the SEC Tournament.

70 USUALLY MEANS W …
Ole Miss is 20-3 this season when scoring 70-plus points this season and just 7-5 when scoring fewer than 70. Ole Miss ranks ninth in the nation in scoring offense averaging 77.9 ppg this year.

… BUT THE REBELS GRINDING LATELY
Although the Rebels are just 7-5 when scoring fewer than 70, Ole Miss has grinded out four straight wins in the SEC and NCAA Tournament without scoring more than 66 points in any game. The Rebel D has held opponents to just 55.8 ppg, and a 34.3 FG percentage during that stretch.

TURNOVERS THE KEY
Ole Miss is 18-1 this season when it forces 15-plus turnovers and just 9-7 when it forces fewer than 15. The Rebels are 24-4 this season when they have the same or less TOs than the opponent and 3-4 when turning the ball over more than their opponent.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Rebel big men Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner have been impressive for Ole Miss in the paint during their careers. Holloway leads all active SEC players, and ranks seventh in the nation, with 38 career double-doubles and ranks third in the league and 23rd in the nation this year with 13 double-doubles. Buckner is fourth among active SEC players with 16 career double-doubles and is fifth in the conference this year with eight double-doubles. The duo’s combined 1,954 career rebounds is second best among active players in the nation and 54 combined double-doubles ranks first among active players in the SEC and third in the nation. Ole Miss is 10-3 this season when Holloway records a double-double and 6-2 this year when Buckner pulls off the feat.

REBELS AMONG NATION’S BEST
Ole Miss rates highly in the latest NCAA national stats (games through March 21), as the Rebels rank ninth in the nation in scoring (77.9 ppg), 10th in turnover margin (+4.2), 22nd in block shots (5.1 pg), 23rd in scoring margin (+10.6), 31st in steals (8.4 pg) and 36th in turnovers (11.4 pg).

LOCK-DOWN DEFENSE
Ole Miss has been particularity stingy on defense this season as the Rebels rank second in the league and 22nd in the nation in blocks (5.1 bpg), third in the SEC and 31st in the NCAA steals (8.4 spg). Ole Miss has forced 540 turnovers this season and is second in the league forcing an average of 15.4 turnovers per game, and currently ranks second in the SEC and 10th in the nation in turnover margin at +4.2.

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 131 games, the Memphis native has now accumulated 324 blocks, and moved passed Steven Hill, of Arkansas, into fifth place in SEC history. The school record was previously held by Sean Murphy, who had 180 blocks in 117 games from 1988-91. Buckner’s 2.7 average this season ranks second among SEC players and 17th in the nation, and he ranks first in conference games with 2.7 bpg. He now holds the school record for blocks in a career, season and game. He blocked at least one shot in every game this season, 31-of-33 games last year and 119-of-131 games over his four-year career. His total of 96 blocks this season is the most ever by a Rebel senior and breaks his previous school record of 95 blocks he set in his sophomore campaign. His total of 69 blocks last season is the Ole Miss record by a junior and is the third-most in a season in school history.

SEC Career Blocks Leaders
1. 564 Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State (2007-10)
2. 412 Shaquille O’Neal, LSU (1990-92)
3. 360 Kyle Davis, Auburn (2001-04)
4. 327 Lavon Mercer, Georgia (1977-80)
5. 324 Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss (2009-)
6. 318 Steven Hill, Arkansas (2005-08)
7. 285 Robert Horry, Alabama (1989-92)
8. 275 Sam Muldrow, South Carolina (2008-11)
9. 272 Dwayne Schintzius, Florida (1986-90)
10. 268 Jamaal Magloire, Kentucky (1997-2000)
11. 266 Roy Rogers, Alabama (1993-96)
12. 249 Brandon Wallace, South Carolina (2004-07)
249 Erick Dampier, Mississippi State (1994-96)
14. 247 Charles Claxton, Georgia (1992-95)
15. 241 Mamadou N’diaye, Auburn (1997-2000)

WE MUST PROTECT THIS BALL
Sophomore PG Jarvis Summers has done a particularly great job of limiting turnovers this season, as he ranks second in the SEC and ranks 38th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 2.3. Summers has only committed 51 turnovers on the season compared to 119 assists. The Rebels as a team rank second in the SEC committing just 11.3 turnovers per game.