KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Every short guy in America who's ever
been bullied by a 6-footer ought to write a thank-you note to Jason
Harrison.
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Sunday, March 18
Rod Barnes and the Ole Miss Rebels, who none of the prognosticators had rated in the top 25, move on to the Sweet 16 in a hard-fought battle against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Rahim Lockhart, with 24 big points, was a major factor on the interior. Ryan Humphrey had a big game with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Irish.
But it was the little guy, Jason Harrison, with the three that put the dagger in Notre Dame's heart. Listed at 5-foot-5, he plays more like 7-foot-5 when the rock is in his hand. The Rebels did a great job playing team defense and showed great pride as they march on to the Sweet 16.
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The 5-foot-5 Harrison hit the key shot that boosted Mississippi
past Notre Dame 59-56 in the second round of the Midwest Regional
on Sunday.
With the shot clock winding down and only 46 seconds to go,
Harrison pulled up and drained an unexpected 3-pointer that put the
Rebels on top 57-55.
A moment earlier, Ryan Humphrey's basket had just given Notre
Dame its first lead of the second half between these two evenly
matched squads.
"I looked at the shot clock and it had eight," Harrison said.
"It's one of those shots you dream about. I knew I had to make a
play. I hadn't made a play in a long time and I didn't want to let
the team down."
The Rebels (27-7), whose victory total is a school record, will
meet No. 2 seed Arizona on Friday in the Midwest Regional semifinals
in San Antonio. After being picked last in the SEC West, they have
advanced farther than any Ole Miss team ever.
Mississippi coach Rod Barnes admitted a lot of college coaches
wouldn't even have bothered to recruit Harrison.
"I don't mind taking a chance on somebody when they have great
character," said Barnes. "Size is the most overrated thing in
basketball."
With 22 seconds left, Emmanuel Wade hit a free throw for Ole
Miss, then Matt Carroll answered with a foul shot for Notre Dame
(20-10), which was gunning for its first regional appearance since
1987.
With 18 seconds left, Sanders missed the front end of a
1-and-1, but was there to block Carroll's attempt at a
game-tying 10-footer.
|  | | Justin Reed, left, and David Sanders celebrate Mississippi's first-ever berth in the Sweet 16. |
"We're a defensive team. That's what got us here," Sanders said. "We look for that last stop on defense. He shot it right
into my hand. He was just trying to get a shot off with the clock
running down."
Jason Flanigan's foul shot with two seconds to go iced it for
the third-seeded Rebels, who held Notre Dame to 29 percent
shooting.
"A lot of it was their defense," said Mike Brey, who capped
his first year as Notre Dame coach by leading the Irish to their
only NCAA appearance in the last 11 years.
"They made more plays at crunch time than we did," Brey said.
Troy Murphy, Notre Dame's two-time All-American forward, had 17
points but was just 1-for-7 in the second half.
"They made me catch the ball in spots where it was harder for
me to score, about 20-22 feet out," Murphy said. "They did a heck
of a job."
He was asked if he'll skip his senior season to enter the NBA.
"It's a tough way to end the season but it's been a great year.
Coach and I will have to sit down some time and weigh the options
and then make the decision based on that," he said.
Rahim Lockhart, Mississippi's muscular 6-8 center, scored his
team's last eight points of the first half and totaled 24 points
even though he kept coming out for brief rests in the second half.
With Notre Dame's defense sagging in on him every time he got
the ball down low, Lockhart ended the game in obvious fatigue. No
other Rebel had more than seven points.
"Coach put a lot of confidence in me today," he said. "They
said they were going to come to me as much as possible."
The Rebels went on an 11-2 run beginning the second half, capped
by Jason Holmes' 3-pointer and David Sanders' layup off an inbounds
pass, and took their biggest lead, 39-31. Murphy stopped the spree
with a 5-footer at the 16:33 mark.
Despite missing 36 of their first 50 shots, the Irish trailed
only 47-40 when Murphy's two free throws triggered an 11-4 run
capped by Humphrey's three-point play that tied it at 51 with 5:09
to go.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Notre Dame Clubhouse
Mississippi Clubhouse
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