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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – The debate over the best team in the
balanced and competitive Southeastern Conference has mostly
revolved around Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida this season.
Alabama and Georgia have drawn some attention.
It may be time to start mentioning Mississippi (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP).
Aaron Harper scored 23 points as Ole Miss beat Tennessee (No. 10, No. 7) 87-71 on Saturday for its fourth straight victory.
The Rebels (19-4, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) are the SEC's
biggest surprise. Ole Miss, after winning just five conference
games last season, is in first place in the Western Division.
The Rebels' goals at the start of the season were 20 wins and an
NCAA tournament bid. They missed the NCAAs for the first time in
four years last season.
Now that those marks seem like locks, the Rebels are setting
their sights higher.
"What we're trying to do is win the whole thing – the SEC
title," said guard Jason Flanigan, who had five points and six
assists. "Then we want to go to the Final Four."
Ole Miss has never won a regular-season SEC crown. The Rebels
did win consecutive SEC West titles in 1996-97 and 1997-98, but
didn't look like a threat to do so again when they were picked last
in the division to start the season by the league's media and
almost every national magazine.
"We're trying to do the impossible," said Jason Harrison, who
had nine points and eight assists.
Ole Miss is just one game behind Kentucky (8-2 SEC) for the best
record in the conference.
Harper set a career high for scoring and was 5-for-9 from
3-point range. Lately, the freshman sharp-shooter has been the
Rebels' best scorer, averaging 14.4 in the previous three games.
"My biggest challenge in the game is staying mentally
focused," he said. "I've been doing a better job of it lately."
Meanwhile, Tennessee (18-6), with one of the most talented
rosters in the SEC, has been arguably the league's most
disappointing team. The Vols have lost five straight on the road,
four of five overall and are just 5-5 in conference play. They'll
likely fall out of the top 10 for the first time this season.
"Sometimes I question our hunger," said Vincent Yarbrough, who
led the Vols with 16 points. "Sometimes I think we may have read
our newspaper clippings a little too much."
Playing without starting point guard Tony Harris, who sprained
an ankle early in the Vols' Wednesday loss to Arkansas, didn't help
as Tennessee committed 20 turnovers.
"We missed Tony today more than we did against Arkansas," Vols
coach Jerry Green said.
Isiah Victor had 15 points and was 6-for-6 shooting. Ron Slay
had 15 points and keyed a second-half rally that saw the Vols cut
an 18-point deficit to eight with about 13 minutes left.
Rahim Lockhart scored 14 points for Mississippi, including a
short hook and follow dunk that gave the Rebels a 69-56 lead with
7:32 left. Mississippi scored the game's first seven points and led
the rest of the way.
Green said his team was not one of the 10 best in the country
during the week, and no one could argue with him, especially after
the Volunteers' lackluster first-half performance.
The defense, which Green had cited as the team's most glaring
shortcoming, was lethargic and the offense sloppy.
Ole Miss, which scored 50 points in beating LSU on Wednesday,
led 46-28 at the half, hitting over 55 percent of its shots. The
Rebels turned 10 Vols turnovers into 16 points.
Harper scored 16 in the first half, including four 3-pointers.
The Vols upped the tempo and defensive intensity in the second
half, but Ole Miss kept Tennessee at bay by hitting just enough
shots and continuing to cause turnovers.
Ole Miss snapped a three-game losing streak to the Volunteers.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Tennessee Clubhouse
Mississippi Clubhouse
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