The excitement surrounding the 23rd-ranked Ole Miss basketball team is higher than it’s been in a long time in Oxford, and tonight, the Rebels (15-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) will put their undefeated conference record on the line against the Tennessee Volunteers (9-7, 1-3 SEC).
Ole Miss traveled to Knoxville and knocked off Tennessee 92-74 on Jan. 9 in the SEC opener. In his SEC debut, junior guard Marshall Henderson dropped a career-high 32 points on the Volunteers. Henderson’s play and explosive on-court personality caught the attention of the Volunteers.
“You can punch him right in the mouth by stopping him from scoring,” Tennessee sophomore forward Jarnell Stokes said in an interview with the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “I feel like if we just stop him from scoring, he won’t talk.”
Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy often refers to Henderson’s antics as “passion,” and he likes the addition to his team.
“We want to make sure it is channeled in the right direction, but we certainly don’t want to do anything to temper that,” Kennedy said. “It’s all about focus with Marshall. No one has ever questioned his abilities. It’s not surprising to me that he’s been able to come in and have the impact that he’s had from day one.”
While Tennessee will look to slow down Henderson, the supporting cast is certainly capable of making Tennessee pay, as five different players scored in double figures in the Rebels’ 76-64 win over Arkansas on Saturday.
Also, Tennessee will need to focus on preventing Ole Miss from getting to the free-throw line. The Rebels made 38 of 44 free throws in the first matchups, both records under Kennedy.
Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin believes Ole Miss has the opportunity to put together a special season.
“They have all the parts to really be successful and make a long run at this thing,” Martin said during this week’s SEC teleconference.
Ole Miss will need to slow down junior guard Jordan McRae, who had 26 points in the first meeting. Stokes also had a productive game against the Rebels, scoring 15 points and collecting 11 rebounds.
Tennessee had lost four straight games, including its first three in league play, before defeating Mississippi State, 72-57, on Saturday. At 1-3 in conference play, the Volunteers sit in 11th place in the SEC standings and will look to climb up the standings with a win against Ole Miss.
Ole Miss will be looking to equal its best ever start in conference play, when it started 5-0 in the 1936-37 season. Tipoff from Tad Smith Coliseum is set for 6 p.m., and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Record Watch
With 22 more rebounds, senior forward Murphy Holloway will become the all-time leader in career rebounds at Ole Miss with 946.
Kennedy is on the verge of making history himself, as five more wins would put his win total as the Rebel head man at 145, the most of any head coach in school history.
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