I just read your article about basketball entering a new era. I’d like to toss in a few notes from an Ole Miss sports board.
Ole Miss’ last outright SEC regular season championship in any sport was our 2009 men’s tennis team. Since then, it appears we are zero for 112 in SEC championships.
In the big three sports, it has been 40 years since a baseball championship, 54 years since a football championship and we have never won any SEC regular season championship in basketball. Since 1977, that is zero for 120 in the big three men’s sports. Current coaches have 33 years of experience and won zero outright SEC regular season championships.
In the 38 years of a SEC basketball tournament we have won it twice: in 1981 and 2013. In the 40 years of an SEC baseball tournament, we again have won it twice: in 1977 and then in 2006. Overall, in these two sports we have won four out of 78 Tourneys, but only two of the last 70.
Should we not expect to be at least better than Mississippi State over the long haul? State’s results in the last 40 years are better than ours across the board. State has won 7 regular season championships in baseball and basketball and 10 tournament championships in those two sports. In football, they have at least been to Atlanta.
In just the last 5 years, State has played for a national championship in two sports, finishing second in the nation in baseball in 2013 and women’s basketball this year.
With investment, facilities and fan support we should legitimately expect the best results in baseball. Coach Mike Bianco has won none outright and only one shared regular season and one tournament championship in 17 years. We have been to Omaha just once which rivals jokingly refer to as “Ole Miss at Home Again.”
This year we have a mediocre team relying mostly on freshmen and that falls on the head coach, although hopefully the freshmen will perform better in the future. Should fans not expect a head coaching change for the better?
Perhaps Vitter and Bjork are satisfied with mediocrity as long as the money from ticket sales rolls in?
