Ole Miss will take on Middle Tennessee State Saturday at 4 p.m. in Oxford, but all the talk this week has stemmed from Marshall Henderson’s 27-shot game against Oregon last Sunday.
Henderson scored a career-high 39 points. He set two Ole Miss records by shooting 23 threes and making 10 of them. Despite the criticism of Henderson’s shot selection, he scored 1.44 points per shot, his highest average of the season.
Head coach Andy Kennedy has said many times that he knows he has to live with the bad shots because Henderson’s shooting will pay off. After every game, Kennedy said he reviews Henderson’s shot selection to see how many “bad shots” he took.
“Depends on what you consider a bad shot,” Kennedy said regarding Henderson’s shots against Oregon. “A bad shot for a normal guy, probably about 15 of them. A bad shot for Marshall, probably about six of them. He’s obviously got to take difficult shots, and he’s got a skill. He’s the best at I’ve ever seen at running full-speed and turning into his right hand and having the ability to make them.”
That’s why Ole Miss will continue to run the baseline screens for Henderson – even if he is struggling. He is their best offensive weapon. By season’s end, he’ll be the most efficient option on the offense. (Right now, it is Jarvis Summers, but it is unlikely he finishes the season shooting 52 percent from the field and 54 percent on threes.)
Despite the emergence of Summers, Derrick Millinghaus and Demarco Cox on the offensive end, Ole Miss is still caught waiting for Henderson to make a play late.
“Some of the time, he just thinks he has to go win the game, especially when other guys are struggling,” Kennedy said.
In the last two minutes of regulation in the Rebels last two games – losses to Kansas State and Oregon – Henderson has attempted 11 of the team’s 13 field goals.
“We’re still searching for a guy to make that shot, and at times, Marshall feels like it has got to be him, and I think he forces the issues,” Kennedy said.
Switching up the lineup?
Henderson has come off the bench all season. But following the Rebels two-game slide, Kennedy admits they are looking at changes to the starting lineup.
“We’ve lost two in a row, so we’re certainly thinking about different ways in which to stimulate certain guys and he’s certainly still in the mix,” Kennedy said. “A lot of it is based on matchups and how to start the game and how to be as aggressive as you want to be defensively with certain lineups. We’re still tinkering with that moving forward.”
For now, the backcourt starters have been Millinghaus, Summers and Martavious Newby. Newby is the best on-ball defender Ole Miss has for the perimeter. He’s the defensive matchup that Kennedy likes to keep in the lineup. But he hasn’t done much of anything on offense – he hasn’t attempted a field goal in the last two games.
“My biggest challenge when I play my best perimeter offensive team is that we struggle sometimes defensively because we’re so undersized and a lack of quickness at a couple of spots,” Kennedy said.
His best offensive lineup on the perimeter is Millinghaus, Summers and Henderson. But Ole Miss has a tough time matching up in man-to-man defense with that lineup. Kennedy likes to mix up the defense by switching from man to 2-3 zone to 2-2-1 press with that lineup.
Graphic By Tyler Bischoff | The Daily Mississippian
Onto Middle Tennessee State
The Blue Raiders have lost to Florida and Belmont this season. But each of the last two seasons they have defeated Ole Miss. Last year, it was a 65-62 win for MTSU in which Henderson scored 17 points on 6 of 17 shooting.
This year’s MTSU team is getting most of its offensive production from the front court, as their three starting forwards combine for 39.2 points per game.
Their low post man, Shawn Jones, has been excellent scoring inside. On 25 post ups this season, he has scored 1.28 points per possession, and on 22 putbacks from offensive rebounds, he is scoring 1.41 points per possession. He is grabbing 2.9 offensive rebounds per game and is shooting 62 percent from the field.
One concern for Ole Miss is that MTSU brings a power forward that can stretch the floor with jumpers. Ole Miss has struggled the last two years with face-up forwards. Neiko Hunter has knocked down 6 of 16 threes this year and is scoring 1.21 points per possession on spot up opportunities.
Defensively, MTSU has been good against the pick-and-roll, allowing .71 points per possession. They usually try to go over the top of ball screens and use an aggressive hedge. This is good news for Jarvis Summers who has done most of his damage on the pick-and-roll this season. (1.02 points per possession on 41 possessions.)
Summers has been good getting into the lane when his man gets caught going over the top of a screen. He has also gotten the line on 32 percent of his pick-and-roll chances – mostly on big men trying to stay with him.
Other Notes
* Marshall Henderson shot three 3-pointers off of balls screens against Oregon. If MTSU is even more aggressive on Henderson ball screens, the screener should be open.
* MTSU plays at a similar pace as Ole Miss, averaging 70.4 possessions per game. Ole Miss is at 73.1 possessions per game.
* Kerry Hammonds has shot the most threes for MTSU. He’s made 34 percent of them. (15/44)
* Shooting guard Marcus Tarrance started the last game for MTSU, but he missed games 4-6 due to being charged with domestic assault. But his charges have been retired, according to the Tennessean.
* Even more bizarre, a freshman guard was dismissed from the team on Dec. 9. Eric Wortham said he was sick in the preseason and lost 25 pounds. He told the Daily News, “(I) wasn’t taken care of when I was sick, that’s why it got so bad. I never received the treatment everyone else got, but it’s fine.”
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @Tyler_RSR and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
