Scout.com lists Holloway’s strengths as Athleticism and Mid-Range game, while his areas for improvement are 3 point range and finishing.  Holloway is a big step up from Wesley Jones, whose vacant scholarship will be given to the South Carolina native.  With the addition of Holloway the Rebels Recruiting class appears to be the best one in quite some time:

PG – Will Bogans, 6-1, Caldwell, Idaho, 3 star
PG – Terrico White, 6-5, Memphis, TN, 3 star
SG – Brandon Wilson, 6-5, Monroe, LA, 3 star
SF/PF – Murphy Holloway, 6-7, Irmo, SC, 4 star (Scout top 70)
PF – Terrance Henry, 6’9, Monroe, LA, 4 star (19th ranked PF)

This is a very solid class that continues to make Ole Miss more athletic and longer.  I just pray Andy Kennedy sticks around to see what they can do in about two years.

The Vols are currently ranked 8th and 9th in the AP and ESPN polls and possess a (12-1) record.  The one loss came against a feisty Texas team, with arguably the best starting five in the nation, and the wins have included Gonzaga, Ohio State, Xavier, and West Virginia.  Head coach Bruce Pearl has made a point to play as many quality OOC games as possible, and as evident by the team’s trip to Seattle they will play anyone anywhere.  But the Rebels are not facing Tennessee’s schedule tonight, they’ll be going up against the Volunteers.

The Vols are a team whose offense starts and usually finished on the perimeter.  They are led by guards Jajuan Smith and Chris Lofton.  While Lofton has been somewhat of a disappointment this season you cannot count him out of any game, he’s a ticking time bomb.  J. Smith is second on the team with 14.4 points a game is shooting 35% from beyond the arc.  While Lofton leads the team with 14.5 per game he is only shooting 34% from the field and averaging 1.2 PPS.  For a player who predominantly shoots the three ball, those aren’t very gaudy numbers.

Tennessee also is getting a huge lift from two transfers this year, J.P. Prince and Tyler Smith.  Prince, a native Memphian, came to UT from Arizona and has made an immediate impact upon gaining eligibility in January.  In only 20 minutes a contest Prince is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, that is efficiency.  The other transfer is Tyler Smith of Pulaski, TN who came back home from Iowa State.  Smith was granted eligibility this season due to his father’s health, which is the reason he came back home.  Smith provides the Vols with a versatile player who can shoot from outside or take it down low.  The most important thing these players add is length.  The Vols are a very undersized team but the 6’7 frames of Prince and T. Smith create match up problems on both ends of the floor.

The productivity doesn’t stop here though.  Rounding out their starting lineup is center; term used loosely, Wayne Chism.  While Wayne does play the 5 for TN and is the biggest player on the court for them, unless Brian Williams comes in, he does not like playing a traditional post game.  Chism stretches the floor and uses his athleticism to get by slower big men off the dribble.  He can create some problems for the Rebs on the offensive end.  Also available for Tennessee are a host of players off the bench such as Howell, Childress, Tabb, Ramar Smith (probably their best bench player), and Brian Williams.

Keys to the Game:
1.  Exploit the Vols down low.
The Rebs are going to have to go down low on offense to Curtis, Williams, Parnell, and White.  If there is one area on the floor where the Rebs can take advantage of UT it will be on the blocks and in rebounding.
2.  Eniel Polynice needs to fill the stat sheet
We do not need Eniel Polynice to score 20 for us to win, but we need him to be effective in all areas of the game, rebounding, scoring, assists, and most importantly defense.  EP will probably be matched up with J.P. Prince and will have a difficult time guarding a player with that much length and quickness.  The Rebs need him to step up his game.
3.  No freshman mistakes
The Rebel freshmen cannot commit careless turnovers during this game.  Every possession will be valuable against this Tennessee team.
4.  Quick starts
This will be the largest crown 13 of the 15 players on roster have played against, that’s how inexperienced this team is.  Ole Miss needs to get out to a quick lead and try to neutralize Thompson-Bowling Arena, easier said than done.

Coaching Strategies
1.  Let Malcolm White see a bigger role.
This will be the ideal game to let Malcolm White loose and showcase his athletic ability.  While Dwayne Curtis should dominate Chism down on the blocks, he will not be able to hang with him on the defensive side of the ball.  Kenny and Parnell may be able to, but I’m curious to see how the kid White will play in a game that should be one of the fastest paced of the year.
2.  Go Big at times.
I’d love to see the Rebs throw a line up of Warren, Polynice, White, Williams, Curtis, or something to that effect.  If the Rebs do that they are not sacrificing speed and the fast break game, but could have three post players in at once against a Tennessee team with only two true post players.
3. Don’t feel like you have to run.
Even though the Rebs pride themselves on their ability to be a run and gun team does not mean they have to tonight.  Tennessee is at their best when the game picks up speed so why play to one of their strengths even though it is one of yours too.  I hate to keep harping on this, but settle into some half-court sets and feed the ball to the post.  If you keep doing this Tennessee will start collapsing their zone (you know the Rebs will see plenty of 2-3 zone) or double-team the posting leaving Huertas or anyone else open on the wings.

So right now there are 6 teams still chasing perfection, and realistically two, maybe three have legitimate shots at achieving that goal. Of course those teams are Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Washington State, they’re the only teams who have played a proven schedule. My bad I was thinking like “The Zou’s Top 25.” Ok, maybe that was uncalled for but Dayton at 14th and USC at 17, you have got to be kidding me. But back to the original topic, the only teams I see with a legitimate shot at an undefeated season are UNC and Memphis, with Memphis being the likely candidate.

So, now that conference play is upon us and it’s been possible to gauge a decent perspective on the talent around basketball here is my first poll of 2008.

1. North Carolina Tar Heels - They may not be the best team in the nation when it’s all said and done, but they were my pre-season number one and have not done anything to warrant me moving them down to number two. While they haven’t played the toughest OOC games they have still had their way with some quality teams. They’re a very deep team, even with the loss of Bobby Frasor, and in a weaker than usual ACC (my opinion, probably wrong) they could hold onto the top spot for a while.

2. Memphis Tigers - This is the team playing the best basketball in country right now, and against top competition. They have wins against USC, Georgetown, Arizona, OU, and Uconn. They still have two more key OOC games against Gonzaga and UT, both at home, before they put it on coast when they enter conference play in the weak C-USA.

3. Kansas Jayhawks – A team that does not have that “star” player but is an extremely deep team who has destroyed competition so far this season. They should be getting more press than they are, but they lack the Derrick Rose or Tyler Hansbrough the media could hype. They get by playing great team basketball and solid all-around games. I wouldn’t want to run into this team in the tournament.

4. UCLA Bruins – I have been very impressed by this team this season. They play some of the best defense I have seen in basketball in the past few seasons, and they were doing this with some key injuries early on in the season. They did suffer a loss to a good Texas team but I still think they are one of the elite teams in the nation.

5. Washington State Cougars – One of the six undefeated teams left, and one that I am not impressed with. They did beat Gonzaga, a GU without Heytvelt, but as everyone has seemed this is not a great GU team this season. Expect them to fall out of the top 10 after losing to USC and UCLA in the next few games.

6. Michigan State Spartans – Drew Neitzel is a freaking baller, which is all that really needs to be said about this team. But this is one of the deepest teams Izzo has had at MSU in a few years, and any team coached by Izzo with an inkling of talent is going to be tough to beat. They have victories over BYU and Texas and their lone loss came against UCLA, and it was a close game.

7. Tennessee Volunteers – Bruce Pearl is proving himself to be one of the best coaches in the NCAA, as well as one of the most hated. Opposing coaches and fans love to hate him for being loud and spirited, but this guy has one of the hottest teams in basketball right now. The Vols are 12-1, an early season loss to Texas, and just beat the Zags in Seattle and are preparing for an SEC showdown with unbeaten Ole Miss in Knoxville. If this team, led by its guards, is on from three they’re nearly unbeatable.

8. Duke Blue Devils – I’ve been really impressed by Duke this season, even though I hate to admit it. Go Heels! Anyways, Duke had a tough loss to Pitt but has also looked good in other games. That’s all and I hope they lose many more games.

9. Georgetown Hoyas – The Hoyas were nearly devastated last year when Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert were poised to jump ship and head to the pros, but a late decision by Hibbert to kept them relevant. I’m not knocked out by this team, but it’s hard to justify them being any lower. They haven’t compiled that marquee win yet, and their only game against a top 25 team saw them get dominated by Memphis.

10. Texas A&M Aggies – The Aggies will round up my top 10. They, like many teams so far, haven’t earned that solidifying win yet, but their wins have been impressive, well by wide margins. Their lone loss came to an underrated Arizona team. Turgeneon should enjoy the Gillespie wave while he still can.

11. Marquette Golden Eagles – I considered putting them in the top 10 but decided against it, they very well could be ahead of the Aggies though. The Golden Eagles have decisive wins over Wisconsin and Oklahoma State and loss a close game to the Dukies in Hawaii. Jerel McNeal is a stud.

12. Pittsburgh Panthers – This whole area (10-13) is very hard to gauge. The Panthers are another team who could be ranked higher or lower than 12. The team’s signature win is against Duke, but injuries are starting to take a toll and the team was recently embarrassed at Dayton with a big-time loss.

13. Indiana Hoosiers – The Hoosiers are led by one of the best freshmen in the NCAA in Eric Gordon, but the Hoosiers suffered a huge setback at the hands of Xavier and haven’t been all that impressive against teams like Georgia Tech. I do like the combination of White and Gordon; I think that could help them to an impressive record in conference play.

14. Texas Longhorns – I know there are some more one loss teams and undefeated teams behind Texas, but you cannot punish this team for losing to Michigan State and Wisconsin on a ridiculous last second shot by a guy off the bench. Victories over Tennessee and UCLA keep them in the top 15. One drawback to this team is a severe lack of depth. NBA fans, remember the name D.J. Augustin.

15. Vanderbilt Commodores – The ‘Dores will round out my top 15. Vandy is currently undefeated at 12-0, but only the third best team in their state (Memphis and TN being better). I think they’re also the third best team in the SEC. Narrow victories over DePaul, Wake Forest, Valpo, and Toledo have me wondering about their legitimacy. The defense is non-existent but it is hard to find a better high low combination than Foster-Oglivy.

16. Ole Miss Rebels – It may be the homer in me, but oh well. The Rebs are the sixth undefeated team in the nation and have achieved that through a well-balanced offense and timely D. Notable victories include Winthrop, Clemson, UCF, and New Mexico. The team’s success is due in large part to freshman Chris Warren and senior Dwayne Curtis. These two have led the Rebs throughout the season. The team is also seeing sophomores David Huertas and Eniel Polynice heat up at just the right time as the team is readying itself for a showdown with Tennessee in Knoxville.

17. Clemson Tigers – The Tigers have a chance to prove themselves with their upcoming game against the Tar Heels. The Tigers haven’t one in Chapel Hill in over 40 years and they will be looking to put an end to that. Clemson is also hoping to prove to the nation it’s not a fluke after their monumental collapse last season (remember this team started out 17-0 before losing 11 games and not qualifying for the NCAA.

18. Villanova Wildcats – I love watching this team play and I’m a huge fan of Steve Lavin’s offense. The Wildcats have not had a marquee victory yet, and lost to a mediocre NCST, but I still think this team will continue to play well enough to hang around the top 25.

19. Dayton Flyers – Surprise team in the top 20 but the one loss Flyers deserve it after destroying Pitt last Saturday. Roberts is for real.

20. Butler Bulldogs – A hard-nosed team who sports a one loss record, the loss coming to a team with bracket busting capabilities in Wright State. The Bulldogs could find themselves with a higher than deserved spot in the Tourney as they prepare for Horizon league play.

21. Arizona Wildcats – Despite its 3 losses this is a team to keep an eye on. Kevin O’Neal has taken over coaching duties as Lute Olsen has left the team for personal reasons and he has inherited a solid group of players. Two of the three losses come against teams in the top 3. I’m expecting this team to make its impact during Pac 10 being led by Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger.

22. Rhode Island Rams – I forgot there was a basketball team in Rhode Island ever since Lamar Odom left, but the Rams have legitimized themselves with wins over Syracuse and Providence

23. Wisconsin Badgers – The Badgers deserve a spot in the top 25 after their buzzer beating win over the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

24. Miami Hurricanes – I may get some heat for not including Stanford in my top 25 but I was not impressed by their victories and their loss to Siena. The Canes were one of the few undefeated teams until their recent loss against a pesky Winthrop team and have a solid win over a talented Mississippi State squad.

25. USC Trojans – Like Arizona, they have more losses than expected, but their SOS and potential in the lineup has them rounding out my top 25. I see them beating Washington State, being led by OJ Mayo of course, and making a big jump in the polls.

While the announcement that Tony Hughes was staying was good news, one area that remained unclear was whether the current interim coach at Arkansas, Herring, would make the trip east to reunite with Nutt or will the Rebels have to look for a different candidate. That was cleared up today when the Rebels shocked the Rebel faithful by naming Tyrone Nix the new DC of Ole Miss.

Nix, a Mississippian, started his coaching career at Southern Miss where he became their DC within his first four years of coaching. He built a good reputation around the country and developed some formidable defenses at Southern. His next stop came in South Carolina where Steve Spurrier hand selected Nix to be his DC when he took over the Gamecocks. This past season the Gamecocks D was ranked 6th in scoring defense, first in pass defense, third in redzone defense, but last in rush D. I don’t see this last area a problem considering the talent we have at the front four, linebacking is an issue though.

Tyrone Nix is a great addition to this team. He brings credibiity, a great recruiter with ties in Mississippi, energy to the staff, and a history of good defenses.

The Rebels used a quick strike offense to jump out to an early 10 point lead courtesy of some solid three point shooting and energy provided by freshman Trevor Gaskins. The Lobos clawed their way back into the game becore the Rebs went on a run to put them up 47-30 at halftime. The Rebels picked up right where they left off at the begining of the second half stretching the lead to 20 where it remained until the 8 minute mark when the Lobos made their last run of the game when they cut the lead to 5 before the Rebels finished them off.

Senior Dwayne Curtis and freshman Chris Warren led the way for the Rebels. Curtis notched a game high 20 points along with 10 rebounds to give him a double-double. Warren, the star Rebel freshman, added 16 points along with 5 assists and three steals. Warren also ignited the crown with his blazing speed which created havoc on the defensive end for the Lobos. Warren’s biggest play of the night came when he read a pass and made a break on it catching the ball in stride which gave him a clear path for a lay up, but the 5′10″ Warren rose up and slammed the ball down with authority sending the “Tad Pad” into a frenzy. Eniel Polynice and Trevor Gaskins, who started for the first time this season, also put in solid performances with 14 and 12 points respectfully.

David Huertas finally started showing signs of life yesterday too. He only had 6 points on 2-6 shooting, but his shots seemed to be on target and he had a couple of three balls rim in and out. I’m still not sold on him and think he may be a tad overrated but you cannot say the kid is not trying his hardest to prove himself to the team and the Rebels fans.

The 6-0 Rebs will take on the UCF Golden Knights in Orlando next Saturday in a game broadcasted on CSS, so watch your undefeated Rebels as they hit the road to improve their record to 7-0 against a very capable UCF team.

It was tough to really say just how good White is and has the potential to be.  His supporting cast is terrible and the offense was not run through him until the last 2 minutes of the game when Craigmont tried to mount a comeback.  Two of the players on the team were trying way too hard to impress Rebel head coach Andy Kennedy who was in attendance and jacked up a three or fadeaway every time they touched the ball.  The coach wasn’t much help either.  Two timeouts were called the entire game and not a word was spoken in either one by the coaching staff, the players simply stayed there and replinished their fluids.   Any coach with half of brain would have been running an offense that put the ball in White’s hands at least once a possession.

Once White finally became the focal point of the offense the team started clicking.  White ended the game with 24 points off some impressive shooting from the beyond the arc.  White also displayed his capabilities of taking the ball to the rim off the dribble.

Still, I was not blown away by White.  I didn’t see a passion or love for the game in him.  He loafed around the court on both sides of the ball for the majority of the game and did not seem to have his thoughts on playing basketball.  He definitely has some work to do, but if he can play like he did in the final two minutes of the game, when the majority of his points were scored, and Andy Kennedy can light a fire under him he has the potential to be a fantastic player for the Rebels.

Nutt showed command of the English language, reminded Rebel fans he knew how to win, and talked about he is willing to adapt his schemes to work with the players he has on his team. This is something OM fans haven’t seen since Tommy Tubberville.  Another thing I noticed is for the first time the entire OM community has rallied around the football team all seem to be in favor of the hire and optimistic under the direction the program will head under Nutt.

1.  Rick Neuheisel - RN is my first choice as the next head coach.  He amassed an impressive record at both Colorado and Washington with 3 top 10 finishes in 8 seasons, I think we’ve had one top 25 finish in the past 8 seasons.  Here is why Neuheisel would be a good fit and why I want him.

     a.  He is a relatively young coach (mid 40s) and has built a reputation   as a players coach. If we want to continue recruting well a players coach is the way to go, we also need to get someone with energy. The players we have on this team identified with O’s energy and confidence and that is a big reason why they committed to us.

b. He has plenty of experience. Not only that but he has been a winner. He finished third in the nation at Washington one season and had a 10 win season at Colorado. He also has name recognition, something our past two coaches haven’t had tons of.

c. He likes passing the football. He showed success at both Washington and Colorado with his ability to pass the football, most notably with Marcus Tuisosopo at Washington. He has a QB ready, he has receivers, possibly could have Deandre Brown, and he has running backs here that could make his system work.

d. Availability. The guy is the OC for the Ravens…tough job and he wants to get back into the college game. Let’s get him before someone else does

e.  The media would welcome the guy back to College Football after an unfair exit and may shed some positive publicity on the football program.

2.  Dennis Francione - I won’t spend much time on this guy frankly because I don’t want him in Oxford.  One positive to Francione is he still has recruiting ties in Alabama and has formed new ones in Texas.  He currently has a top 5 class at TAMU and would be another coaching candidate on the list with name recognition.  So what is wrong Francione?  I just don’t trust the guy.  He did not get along with the administration at TAMU and seems to have a distant personality.  I do not think he would mesh with the players or the fans here in Oxford.

3 .  Will Muschamp - Muschamp is one of the most proven DCs in the nation right now.  He spent time under Nick Saban at LSU and Miami before joining Tommy Tubberville in Auburn where he’s continued to dominate the opposition.  He’s considered one of the top young prospects as far as future HCs go.

4.  Art Briles - Briles is the head coach at Houston right now and has done a fantastic job turning around that program.  He runs a great offense, one that the Rebs would thrive in next season but he lacks the name recognition and experience the Rebels need.

Now for my two wild cards…

1.  Bob Davie - Davie is the former coach of Notre Dame where he had moderate success.  Currently he is working for ESPN and ABC as analyst/announcer.  He is a defensive minded coach who proved he could with a couple of 10 win season at ND.  I haven’t heard his name mentioned much but I would be in favor of having Davie as the next coach at Ole Miss.

2.  Kent Austin - Kent Austin is a name that should be familiar to most Ole Miss fans.  Austin played Quarterback at Ole Miss in the mid 80s and had a great career in the CFL after a brief stint in the NFL.  Right now he is the coach of the Sasketchewan Rough Ridgers and has them at a 12-6 record and in the midst of a playoff run for the Grey Cup.  He was hired by another Ole Miss alum in Eric Tillman who has been mentioned as a possibility for the next AD when Boone finally leaves.

These are just a few of the names I have come up with concerning the vacancy, none of these guys will probably get the nod and it will be someone I never saw coming.