Jarvis Summers dribbles around a Mississippi Valley State defender Nov. 22. Photo: Austin McAfee, The Daily Mississippian
Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy said he would begin to find out a lot about his team when they traveled to Brooklyn for the Barclays Center Classic, and he found a lot of good as the Rebels won the tournament with wins over Georgia Tech and Penn State. Now, Ole Miss looks to continue their hot play tonight in a tough road matchup at Kansas State, which is part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The Rebels (6-0) have had just one true road game this season, which was a 72-70 win at Coastal Carolina. They then went to Brooklyn last week. The atmosphere will undoubtedly be more difficult at Kansas State tonight, but Kennedy has been pleased with the way his team has handled themselves away from home so far.
“I loved our approach,” Kennedy said. “I think your approach is everything. We were in attack mode from the beginning, and I loved that. We grew up in Brooklyn.”
The Wildcats (4-3) come into tonight’s contest searching for a big win after struggling early on. Kansas State is averaging just 66.1 points per game, while the Rebels are scoring 82 points per game.
Freshman guard Marcus Foster leads the way for Kansas State offensively, posting 13.9 points per game and shooting 40.5 percent from the field. Junior center Thomas Gipson leads the Wildcats in the post. Gipson is scoring 11.4 points per game, holding a 55 percent field goal percentage and is pulling down five rebounds per game.
For Ole Miss, junior guard Jarvis Summers has stepped into a more aggressive role this year. Summers is one of three Rebels averaging over 15 points a game, scoring at a clip of 15.7 points per contest on 53.6 percent shooting.
Sophomore point guard Derrick Millinghaus is scoring 15.3 points per game, and senior guard Marshall Henderson is adding 15.2 points.
“Derrick has always been offensive-minded,” Kennedy said in regards to the scoring punch Millinghaus gives the team. “He’s still a work in progress as it relates when to shoot, when to pass, when to stop and when to manage the game, but he’s definitely improved in year two.”
The backcourt trio has been tough on opposing defenses, so Kennedy loves to play all three of them together. However, they present a challenge for Ole Miss on the defensive end of the court because of their lack of size.
“I like it offensively,” Kennedy said of playing Summers, Millinghaus and Henderson at the same time. “Defensively, it is hard because we don’t have any size out there. Offensively, it is our best group because it is very difficult on our opponent with Derrick’s speed, Jarvis’s aggression and Marshall stretches you to the locker room.”
In the front court, Ole Miss has junior center Demarco Cox and junior forward Aaron Jones. Cox is averaging 8.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while Jones is scoring six points and grabbing 7.3 rebounds per game.
Ole Miss has certainly gotten off to a hot start this season, and they’ll find out what they’re made of over the next three games. After tonight’s game, the Rebels host No. 13 Oregon Sunday and Middle Tennessee on Dec. 14.
“Everyone just needs to stay in the gym and continue to improve,” Summers said. “We’re lacking in free throws and just everyone playing a balanced game. We just need to put together an overall game.”
Tipoff for tonight’s contest between Ole Miss and Kansas State is set for 8 p.m. from Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @thedm_sports on Twitter.
