Men's Basketball Prepares For Alabama State

Nov. 30, 1999

Game #6

Ole Miss (5-0) vs. Alabama State (1-1)

Wednesday, December 1 - 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Reed Acadome - Montgomery, Ala.

Rebels on Television and Radio:
Television: College Sports Southeast (Barry McKnight, play-by-play, Jay Roberson, color analyst)
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play, Sean Tuohy, color analyst, Stan Sandroni, pregame/halftime/postgame host)

OLE MISS CONTINUES ROAD TRIP WITH MATCH-UP AT ALABAMA STATE ON WEDNESDAY

The Ole Miss Rebels (5-0, 0-0 SEC) continue their road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 1 when they travel to Montgomery, Ala., to meet the Alabama State Hornets (1-1, 0-0 SWAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (CT) at the Joe L. Reed Acadome. The Rebels enter Wednesday's game after winning the SoCon Holiday Hoops Tournament championship last weekend. Ole Miss defeated Furman (75-61), Oregon State (77-58) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (57-53) to take the title. The Hornets won their season opener over Faulkner University, 80-69 on Nov. 19, but dropped a 77-59 decision at South Alabama on Nov. 23.

OLE MISS-ALABAMA STATE SERIES

The Rebels lead the all-time series versus Alabama State, 2-0. Ole Miss won the last meeting between the two schools, an 87-45 victory in Oxford on Nov. 13, 1998. The Rebels also won the first encounter between the two teams, an 87-75 win in the 1983 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). That game was played in Oxford on Mar. 17, 1983.

- PROBABLE STARTERS -
* Based on last game's starters


No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
11	Jason Harrison (So.)	G	5-5	150	6.2/2.6	Little Rock, Ark.
22	Jason Flanigan (Jr.)	G	6-1	175	7.0/4.8	Little Rock, Ark.
24	Marcus Hicks (Sr.)	F	6-6	200	16.8/5.8	Jackson, Tenn.
25	Lataryl Williams (Sr.)	F	6-7	200	7.4/3.6	Oxford, Miss.
44	Rahim Lockhart (Jr.)	F	6-8	250	16.2/13.2	Mendenhall, Miss.

- RESERVES -

No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
15	Ray Waddell (Jr.)	G	5-9	165	1.0/0.7	Philadelphia, Miss.
20	Jason Holmes (Jr.)	G	6-5	200	5.6/1.8	Tylertown, Miss.
21	Darrian Brown (So.)	G/F	6-6	200	6.2/3.8	West Memphis, Ark.
23	Syniker Taylor (Fr.)	G	6-0	195	0.0/0.0	Gulfport, Miss.#
30	Josh Hayes (Fr.)	G	6-7	190	5.0/2.0	Little Rock, Ark.
31	John Gunn (Fr.)	F/C	6-10	245	1.4/1.6	Oxford, Miss.
32	Emmanuel Wade (Fr.)	G	6-3	185	2.8/1.6	Marianna, Ark.
45	Richard Kirklin (Fr.)	F	6-9	200	2.6/3.2	Pine Bluff, Ark.
54	John Engstrom (So.)	C	7-0	245	0.0/0.8	Paragould, Ark.

# - will join the team following the football season

LAST MEETING
November 13, 1998

Ole Miss 87, Alabama State 45

In his debut as the head coach of the Rebels, Rod Barnes guided Ole Miss to an 87-45 victory over Alabama State in the 1998-99 season opener. The win improved the Rebels' homecourt win streak to 21 straight games. Senior All-America candidate Keith Carter led the Rebels on the offensive end with a game-high 22 points. Carter also grabbed a team-high tying six boards and dished out six assists. Junior transfer Marcus Hicks, in his first game as a Rebel, netted 12 points and also recorded six rebounds. Senior Michael White dished out a game-best eight assists.

Ole Miss jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead in the first four minutes and never looked back. From that point, the Rebels continued to increase their advantage and held a 53-21 lead at the half. After the intermission, Alabama State could only get to within 28 points on two occasions before Ole Miss posted an 87-45 win.

The Rebels shot 53.7 percent from the field, while holding the Hornets to 32.1 percent shooting from the floor and 18.2 percent from the three-point arc. Ole Miss had 26 assists compared to only 10 turnovers. The Rebel defense forced Alabama State into 26 turnovers.

Alabama St.	FG-A	3P-A	FT-A	Reb	Pts	Ast	Blk	Stl
Moncrief	0-12	0-4	7-8	5	7	2	0	2
Williams	5-9	1-1	0-1	6	11	1	0	0
Stephens	1-6	0-3	0-0	5	2	2	0	0
Thomas	4-9	0-0	0-2	7	8	0	2	1
Levett	3-8	0-0	1-2	4	7	0	0	1
Cross	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0
Milsaps	3-5	1-2	0-0	5	7	1	1	0
Ball	1-3	0-1	1-2	3	3	1	0	1
TEAM				4
Totals	17-53	2-11	9-15	39	45	7	3	5

Ole Miss	FG-A	3P-A	FT-A	Reb	Pts	Ast	Blk	Stl
Cantrell	1-3	1-3	0-0	0	3	0	0	0
Smith	2-6	0-3	2-3	2	6	2	0	2
White	0-1	0-1	0-0	3	0	8	0	0
Hicks	5-7	0-0	2-3	6	12	1	0	0
Carter	9-14	4-8	0-0	6	22	6	0	0
Flanigan	3-5	1-3	0-0	2	7	3	0	0
Carpenter	2-5	1-4	0-0	1	5	1	0	0
Harrison	3-5	1-3	0-0	2	7	5	0	1
Rogers	2-3	0-0	0-1	1	4	0	1	1
Pruitt	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0
Brown	3-9	1-3	1-2	3	8	0	0	2
Williams	2-4	0-1	0-0	1	4	0	0	1
Lockhart	4-5	0-0	1-2	4	9	0	3	2
Engstrom	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0
TEAM				2
Totals	36-67	9-29	6-11	35	87	26	4	9

Alabama State	21	24	-	45
Ole Miss	53	34	-	87

Officials: Patillo, Lopes, Thibodeaux
Attendance: 3,814

SCOUTING ALABAMA STATE

Alabama State, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), enters Wednesday's game with a 1-1 overall record. The Hornets defeated Faulkner University, 80-69 in their season opener on Nov. 19, but lost at South Alabama, 77-59 on Nov. 23. The sophomore tandem of Tyrone Levett and Joey Ball is leading the Hornet offense. Levett is averaging 18.5 points, while Ball has a 14.0 point-per-game average. Levett is also leads Alabama State on the boards with a 6.0 rebounding average. The Hornets are shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from the three-point line. Alabama State's opponents are outscoring (73.0-69.5 ppg) and out-rebounding (44.0-34.5 rpg) the Hornets.

- ALABAMA STATE PROBABLE STARTERS -
* Based on last game's starters

No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
12	Richard Millsap (So.)	F	6-6	190	4.0/4.5	Fresno, Calif.
45	Tyrone Levett (So.)	F	6-5	215	18.5/6.0	Notasulga, Ala.
25	Alvin Pettway (Fr.)	C	6-9	230	5.0/1.0	Montgomery, Ala.
00	Tobarie Burton (Jr.)	G	6-1	180	7.0/1.5	Montgomery, Ala.
35	Joey Ball (So.)	G	6-2	180	14.0/5.0	Andalusia, Ala.

- TOP RESERVES -

No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
50	Michael Green (Fr.)	C	6-11	235	5.0/4.5	St. Louis, Mo.
30	Dupree McKenzie (Jr.)	F	6-4	215	5.0/4.5	Quitman, Miss.
23	Jonathan Deveridge (Fr.)	G	6-3	185	5.0/1.0	Troy, Ala.
21	Coupe Taylor (Fr.)	G	6-1	180	4.5/1.0	Fresno, Calif.

BARNES IN SECOND SEASON AS REBEL MENTOR

Rod Barnes is in his second season at the helm of the Ole Miss Rebel basketball program. With the Rebels' win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 28, Barnes improved his overall coaching record to 25-13. In his first season in 1998-99, Barnes guided Ole Miss to a 20-13 overall record and a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Satartia, Miss., native became the first head coach in the history of Rebel basketball to win 20 games in his first season. Last season, Barnes also guided the Rebels to a 72-70 win over Villanova in the NCAA Tournament first round, marking the program's first-ever victory in NCAA play. Barnes was hired as the Rebel head coach on April 9, 1998, after Rob Evans left to take the h ead coaching position at Arizona State on April 6. A 1988 graduate of Ole Miss, Barnes served as an assistant under Evans from 1993-98. During his time as an assistant coach, the Rebels compiled a record of 76-63 and won back-to-back Southeastern Conference Western Division titles and received consecutive NCAA Tournament berths in 1997 and 1998. Barnes played at Ole Miss from 1984-88 and was named All-SEC his senior season. He still ranks on the Ole Miss career charts in scoring (17th, 1,201 points), assists (2nd, 456) and steals (6th, 154).

REBELS VERSUS THE SWAC

Ole Miss has a perfect 16-0 record versus current members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Rebels are 5-0 versus Prairie View, 3-0 versus Jackson State, 2-0 versus Alcorn State and Alabama State, and 1-0 versus Southern, Grambling, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alabama A&M. Ole Miss has never played Mississippi Valley State or Texas Southern. Last year, the Rebels defeated Alabama State (87-45), Alabama A&M (89-45) and Prairie View A&M (111-50).

REBELS TOUGH ON NON-CONFERENCE FOES IN RECENT YEARS

In last eight years (including the 1999-2000 season), the Rebels have posted a 56-27 record (.674 winning percentage) versus non-conference opponents. Non-conference foes have found Ole Miss especially tough the last five seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000), as the Rebels have an impressive 39-11 mark (.780 winning percentage) against out-of-conference teams. The following shows Ole Miss' non-conference record over the previous eight years:

92-93    5-5   93-94    7-3   94-95    5-5      95-96    6-4      96-97    8-397-98    9-298-99   11-499-2000  5-0

REBELS WIN SOCON HOLIDAY HOOPS TOURNAMENT TITLE

Ole Miss won the SoCon Holiday Hoops Tournament title last weekend, defeating Wisconsin-Green Bay in the championship contest. The three-day tournament was played in Greenville, S.C. The title was the Rebels' first-ever three-day tournament championship, and it was also the program's first in-season tournament title (two or more rounds) since the 1988-89 campaign when the Rebels won the Bayou Classic. With the three wins in the SoCon Holiday Hoops Tournament, Ole Miss evened its all-time regular season tournament record at 51-51 (.500 winning percentage).

REBELS OFF TO FIRST 5-0 START SINCE 1985-86...

With its win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 28, Ole Miss improved its record to 5-0 to begin the 1999-2000 season. The 5-0 start is the program's first since the 1985-86 Rebels also began their season 5-0.

...AND LOOKING TO IMPROVE TO 6-0

With a victory over Alabama State on Wednesday, Ole Miss would improve its record to 6-0 to start the season. The last time a Rebel squad began a season with a 6-0 record was 1973-74.

HICKS, LOCKHART NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Senior Marcus Hicks (Jackson, Tenn.) and junior Rahim Lockhart (Mendenhall, Miss.) were named to the SoCon Holiday Hoops All-Tournament Team. Hicks averaged 14.7 points and 6.0 rebounds, while Lockhart 13.0 points and 13.0 boards. Lockhart also had 10 blocked shots and five steals.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS...

Well, for the Rebels, it seems as if that number is 70. In the past four seasons (1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000), Ole Miss has an incredible 59-6 record (.907 winning percentage) when it scores 70 points or more in a game. On the other hand, the Rebels are 7-23 when they net less than 70 points in a game. Last season, Ole Miss had an 18-3 record (.857 winning percentage) when it eclipsed the 70-point plateau. This year, the Rebels are 4-0 when scoring 70 points or more.

REBEL DOMINATION ON THE BOARDS

Ole Miss has been simply dominating its opponents on the boards in the early portion of the season. The Rebels are averaging 46.8 rebounds per contest, while the opposition has a rebounding average of 29.8 boards-a margin of 17.0 boards per game, which is tops in the SEC. The following chart shows the Rebels' domination on the boards:

Opponent	Rebel Rebs.	Opp. Rebs.	Margin
Jacksonville St.	50	36	+14
McNeese St.	49	27	+22
Furman	48	26	+22
Oregon St.	46	28	+18
Wisconsin-GB	41	32	+9
Avg.	46.8	29.8	+17.0

LOCKHART DOUBLES HIS PLEASURE-A FIFTH TIME

Junior Rahim Lockhart continues to double his pleasure in the early portion of the Rebel schedule, as he recorded his fifth consecutive double-double in Ole Miss' victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay in the SoCon Holiday Hoops Tournament on Nov. 28. The following charts Lockhart's double-doubles this season:

Opponent	Points	Rebs	Notes
Jacksonville St.	29	11	career high pts
McNeese St.	13	16	career high rebs
Furman	15	14	tied career high blks
Oregon St.	11	12
Wisconsin-GB	13	13	tied career high stls
Avg.	16.2	13.2

The junior forward now has five career double-doubles, as his first came last season against Tennessee (Feb. 17, 1999) with a 16-point, 12-rebound game.

FLANIGAN TIES CAREER HIGH IN REBOUNDING VERSUS OREGON STATE

Junior guard Jason Flanigan (Little Rock, Ark.) tied a career best with eight boards in the Rebels' win over Oregon State on Nov. 27. Flanigan also recorded eight boards in both wins over Arkansas in the 1998-99 campaign. Flanigan had a solid all-around game versus the Beavers, recording six points, eight rebounds, six assists and only one turnover in 33 minutes of action.

FLANIGAN TURNING UP THE DEFENSE

The past two seasons, junior Jason Flanigan has been the Rebels' defensive stopper, and the junior guard is already in top form on the defensive end in the early portion of the 1999-2000 season. In the championship game win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 28, Flanigan was assigned to stop B.J. LaRue, the Phoenix's top scorer with a 16.0 scoring average. LaRue, who was selected the tournament's MVP, scored 11 first-half points, but Flanigan put the clamps on LaRue in the second half. After the intermission, LaRue did not score, shooting 0-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from the three-point arc.

Flanigan also played a solid all-around floor game in the win over Wisconsin-Green Bay, recording seven points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 35 minutes of action

CALL HIM "MR. CLUTCH"

Sophomore Darrian Brown (West Memphis, Ark.) has turned into one of the Rebels' clutch performers in the early season. Brown, who entered the SoCon Holiday Hoops Tournament last weekend with averages of 2.5 points and 3.0 rebounds, scored 26 points (8.6 ppg) and grabbed 13 boards (4.3 rpg) in the Rebels' three victories over Furman, Oregon State and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

However, it was Brown's clutch play that stood out. In the semifinal victory over Oregon State, Brown scored a season-high 11 points and hit 7-of-10 from the charity stripe, including 5-of-6 in the last 2:30 of the contest to help preserve the win. The following night, Brown had nine points and six boards (season-high) and hit the game-clinching free throw with four seconds left to seal the 57-53 victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes preaches "taking care of the basketball"-or in other words, no turnovers. Well, junior Jason Flanigan has been listening to Barnes' message. The 6-foot-1 guard has a team-high 21 assists compared to only seven turnovers (3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio).

With his 21 assists, Flanigan hit the 150-assist plateau for his career. A starter in all five games, Flanigan also has eight steals this season.

HICKS HAS CAREER SCORING NIGHT

Senior forward Marcus Hicks netted a career-high 26 points in Ole Miss' victory over McNeese State on Nov. 23. Hicks' previous career best was 24 points in a Rebel victory over Louisville on Dec. 5, 1998. He scored his career high on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. The 11 field goals made tied a career best (also made 11 field goals versus Louisville). Hicks also recorded five boards, three assists, one block and one steal in the win over McNeese State.

LOCKHART EXPLODES FOR CAREER HIGH

In the Rebels' 74-59 victory over Jacksonville State on Nov. 19, junior forward Rahim Lockhart netted a career-best 29 points, breaking his previous high of 21 points against Alabama on Jan. 6, 1999. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward scored his 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. The 11 field goals were also a career high for Lockhart. He also tied a career best with four blocked shots. In 32 minutes of action versus Jacksonville State, Lockhart committed no turnovers.

ANOTHER CAREER NIGHT FOR LOCKHART

For the second straight game, junior Rahim Lockhart set a career high-this time on the boards. Lockhart grabbed a career-best 16 boards in Ole Miss' win over McNeese State on Nov. 23. The 16 boards broke his previous career high of 12 rebounds set two times last season versus Tennessee (Feb. 17, 1999) and Mississippi State (Jan. 20, 1999).

REBELS ENTER 1999-2000 SEASON WITH NEW LOOK

After three seasons of having several returnees, the Ole Miss Rebel basketball program entered the 1999-2000 campaign with a new look, as only two starters and seven letterwinners return. Last season, the Rebels returned three starters and nine letterwinners, and in 1997-98, all five starters returned from the 1996-97 season. The following chart shows what the Rebels return in 1999-2000:

Stat Category	Returning	Pct.
Points	1186 of 2540	46.7
Rebounds	576 of 1197	48.1
Assists	265 of 545	48.6
Blocks	86 of 133	64.7
Steals	156 of 326	47.9

FRESHMAN HAYES GETS STARTING NOD IN FIRST GAME

Freshman Josh Hayes (Little Rock, Ark.) received the starting nod in his first game in a Rebel uniform in Ole Miss' season opener versus Jacksonville State on Nov. 19. Hayes had a solid showing in his first start with five points, two rebounds, one assist, one blocked shot, one steal and no turnovers in 16 minutes of action. Hayes is the first Rebel freshman to start his first game since former standout Jason Smith did so in the 1995-96 season opener versus Davidson (an 84-83 overtime loss on Nov. 27, 1995).

SHAKING UP THE LINEUP

After three seasons of knowing who was going to start, Rebel fans don't know what to think in 1999-2000, as head coach Rod Barnes has had three different lineups in the first five games. The following shows those lineup changes:

Jacksonville St.: Hicks, Williams, Lockhart, Hayes, Flanigan
McNeese St.: Williams, Lockhart, Kirklin, Flanigan, Harrison
Furman: Williams, Lockhart, Hicks, Flanigan, Harrison
Oregon St.: Williams, Lockhart, Hicks, Flanigan, Harrison
Wis.-Green Bay: Williams, Lockhart, Hicks, Flanigan, Harrison

KIRKLIN BULLISH ON THE BOARDS, GETS FIRST START

Freshman forward Richard Kirklin (Pine Bluff, Ark.) has been impressive with his board play for the Rebels in the early season. Kirklin is averaging 3.2 rebounds after five games, including a season-best seven boards in the win over McNeese State on Nov. 23. He also scored 10 points in that victory. The 6-foot-9 forward received the first start of his collegiate career versus the Cowboys on Nov. 23. Kirklin is averaging 2.6 points per game.

REBELS CELEBRATES 90TH SEASON OF BASKETBALL IN 1999-2000

In 1999-2000, the Ole Miss Rebel basketball program will celebrate its 90th campaign. The Rebels have posted a 925-1044 all-time record in their previous 89 seasons. The Ole Miss program has won a Southern Conference Tournament title (1927-28), a Southeastern Conference Tournament title (1981) and consecutive SEC Western Division titles (1997, 1998). The Rebels have also appeared in four NCAA Tournaments (1981, 1997, 1998, 1999) and five NITs (1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989).

GOING FOR FOUR STRAIGHT NCAA TOURNAMENTS IN 1999-2000

The Ole Miss Rebel basketball program is the first team from the state of Mississippi to play in three straight NCAA Men's Basketball Division I Tournaments since Alcorn State did so in 1982, 1983, and 1984. No Division I men's basketball team from the state of Mississippi has ever played in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

OLE MISS PICKED SIXTH IN WEST BY MEDIA

The Ole Miss Rebels were picked to finish in sixth place in the SEC Western Division in a vote by media members at the annual conference media days on Nov. 3-4. Auburn was selected to win the SEC overall title and the Western Division championship. Arkansas was second, followed by Alabama, Mississippi State and LSU. In the East, Florida was picked to finish first, followed by Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia and South Carolina.

OLE MISS' 1999-2000 RECRUITING CLASS RANKED AMONG NATION'S ELITE

The 1999-2000 Rebel recruiting class was ranked among the top 30 in the country, according to two national recruiting publications. The Ole Miss recruiting class was ranked No. 26 in the nation by both PrepStar and HOOP SCOOP magazines. Other Southeastern Conference schools ranked (PrepStar/HOOP SCOOP) were: Mississippi State (3/3), Florida (6/6), Kentucky (7/7), Alabama (9/9), Georgia (10/10), South Carolina (12/12), Tennessee (14/14) and Arkansas (22/22).

TIP-INS...

The Rebels have a 38-24 record (.613 winning percentage) in December games in the 1990s. Ole Miss was 6-2 in the month of December last season, with the losses coming at Memphis (78-72, ot) and against Ohio State (67-62) in the finals of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic...The Rebels shot over 70 percent from the charity stripe in the wins over Furman (70.4 percent) and Oregon State (76.7 percent). The last time the Rebels shot 70 percent or better from the free throw line in consecutive games was last season versus Northeast Louisiana (Dec. 2, 72.0 percent) and Louisville (Dec. 5, 73.9 percent)?both Ole Miss wins...Sophomore Darrian Brown hit a career-best seven free throws in Ole Miss' win over Oregon State...Rahim Lockhart grabbed the 250th rebound of his career in the win over Furman on Nov. 26. He now has 273 career boards...Ole Miss finished the 1990s with a record of 19-3 (.864 winning percentage) in the month of November.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Ole Miss (5-0) vs. Alabama State (1-1)

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