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Mississippi
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
The Rebels weren't even on national radar when the season began and were picked last in the SEC West. Then they won a school-record 25 games and captured the West crown. Which is why Rod Barnes was the easy choice for Coach of the Year in the league and among the top choices nationally. Ole Miss hit the national map by beating Oklahoma, Kansas State and Memphis in an eight-day span to go 7-0, and pushed it to 11-0 before a two-point loss to Iowa State. Some expected a fade in SEC play, but the Rebels won five straight in February to stamp themselves legitimate once and for all. Nevertheless, this is a starless bunch. Ole Miss doesn't have anyone in the SEC's top 15 in scoring, and nobody is averaging more than 13 points per game. It has been a true team accomplishment getting to a third NCAA Tournament in the past four years. Ole Miss earned a No. 3 seed with its performance in the SEC Tournament, and survived scares against Iona and Notre Dame to get to the Sweet 16.Player to Watch Reed is a future star, but Lockhart is a capable of a double-double every time out. The burly 6-foot-8 senior left-hander is averaging 12.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and shooting 57 percent from the floor. His range doesn't extend beyond the paint - but he knows it, and sticks with what he does best. Ole Miss struggles guarding good post players when he's not in the game, so Lockhart has to watch his fouls. With the Ball This is no offensive juggernaut. The Rebels were 11th in the SEC in scoring and middle-of-the-pack in virtually every other offensive category. There were times when you wondered where the points were going to come from, but burly post man Rahim Lockhart and stellar freshman forward Justin Reed became fairly reliable go-to guys. Opponents tend to eyeball 5-foot-5 backup point guard Jason Harrison and underestimate him, but it can be a fatal error. The midget can play. Defending the Ball Merciless man-to-man is what makes Ole Miss a top-shelf team. The Rebels rather easily led the league in scoring defense (63.6 points per game) and kept opponents under 30 percent shooting from three-point range. Nobody has broken 80 in a regulation game against the Rebels since November, and nine opponents failed to break 60. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expectations None. Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: .800 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: Ole Miss is in the tournament for only the fifth time, but has now made the field four years in a row. Its only NCAA victory came in 1999 against Villanova, when the No. 9 Rebels escaped the No. 8 Wildcats at the buzzer. This is far and away the best Mississippi team to reach the Big Dance, so much is expected. Look for Ole Miss to play to its seed, as that is one thing which hasn't happened in the school's relatively brief NCAA history. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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Ole Miss coach Rod Barnes says his team let the tempo get too fast.(Courtesy: NCAA Productions)
