The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball Takes on LSU Wednesday
6/21/1999 | Men's Basketball
February 1, 1999
Game #23 (Jefferson-Pilot TV)
- Ole Miss (15-7, 5-4) vs. LSU (10-8, 2-7)
- Wednesday, February 3 - 7:00 p.m. (CT)
- Maravich Assembly Center - Baton Rouge, La.
PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Player (Yr.) Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown 4 Jason Smith (Sr.) F 6-6 220 11.0/4.9 Wheatley, Ark.24 Marcus Hicks (Jr.) F 6-6 200 12.0/5.4 Jackson, Tenn. 3 Jason Flanigan (So.) G 6-1 175 5.7/2.9 Little Rock, Ark.22 Michael White (Sr.) G 6-1 180 4.3/2.0 Tempe, Ariz.33 Keith Carter (Sr.) G 6-4 195 16.9/4.4 Perryville, Ark.RESERVES
No. Player (Yr.) Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown11 Hunter Carpenter (Sr.) G 6-0 180 4.7/0.6 Little Rock, Ark.12 Jason Harrison (Fr.) G 5-5 150 6.2/2.0 Little Rock, Ark.13 Johnnie Rogers (Sr.) F 6-9 220 4.3/2.9 Laurel, Miss.20 Matt Pruitt (Fr.) G 6-4 185 2.9/1.2 Jonesboro, Ark.21 Darrian Brown (Fr.) F 6-6 200 5.1/2.4 West Memphis, Ark.23 Syniker Taylor (Fr.) G 6-2 195 - Gulfport, Miss.#25 Lataryl Williams (Jr.) G 6-6 200 4.0/1.9 Oxford, Miss.44 Rahim Lockhart (So.) F 6-8 250 8.1/4.8 Mendenhall, Miss.54 John Engstrom (Fr.) C 7-0 245 1.1/2.1 Paragould, Ark.%REBELS ON TELEVISION & RADIO
# - will miss the 1998-99 season as a result of a broken left fibula anddislocated ankle suffered in football practice Nov. 4% - redshirted in 1997-98
Television:
Jefferson-Pilot Sports
(Tim Brando, play-by-play; Larry Conley, analyst)
Radio:
Ole Miss Radio Network
(David Kellum, play-by-play; Sean Tuohy, analyst; Stan Sandroni, pregame/halftime/postgame host)
OLE MISS TO BEGIN THREE-GAME ROAD TRIP AT LSU ON WEDNESDAY
The Ole Miss Rebels (15-7, 5-4 SEC) begin a three-game road swing on Wednesday, Feb. 3 with a Southeastern Conference Western Division battle at LSU (10-8, 2-7 SEC). The game, which will be televised by Jefferson-Pilot Sports, is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. (CT). The Rebels enter the contest having won three of their last four games. During that stretch, Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State (81-68), Georgia, (85-76) and No. 21 Arkansas (89-81). The Rebels' lone loss during the last four games was a narrow 67-66 setback at South Carolina. The LSU Tigers have dropped three of their last four games, defeating Vanderbilt (64-59) and losing to Florida (77-58), Arkansas (86-64) and Kentucky (86-62).
BARNES IN FIRST YEAR AT HELM OF REBEL PROGRAM
Rod Barnes is in his first season at the helm of the Ole Miss Rebel basketball program. He posted his first victory as head coach on Nov. 13 when the Rebels defeated Alabama State, 87-45. He now has a 15-7 record after the Rebels defeated No. 21 Arkansas, 89-81 on Jan. 30. Barnes was hired as the Rebel head coach on April 9, 1998, after Rob Evans left to take the head 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 (16th; 1,201 points), assists (2nd; 456) and steals (6th; 154).
SCOUTING LSU
The Tigers enter Wednesday's game with a 10-8 overall record and a 2-7 Southeastern Conference mark. LSU has dropped three of its last four games. The Tigers have posted a 10-3 record at the Maravich Assembly Center this season, including a 2-3 league mark at home. LSU's two SEC wins have come against Alabama (71-70) and Vanderbilt (64-59). The trio of Maurice Carter, Jabari Smith and Brian Beshara is leading the Tiger offense. Maurice Carter tops the team in scoring with a 17.0 average, while Smith (12.6 pgg) and Beshara (11.1 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. Smith leads LSU in rebounding (9.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (.500). Jamaal Wolfe is tops on the team in assists with 52. LSU, as a team, is averaging 67.1 points and 40.7 rebounds per game. The Tigers are shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the three-point line. LSU is out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 5.7 boards per game (40.7-35.0).
LSU PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Player (Yr.) Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown21 Brian Beshara (So.) F 6-8 220 11.1/6.0 Dallas, Texas31 Jermaine Williams (Fr.) F 6-7 180 5.0/3.1 Baton Rouge, La.52 Jabari Smith (Jr.) C 7-0 255 12.6/9.7 Atlanta, Ga. 3 Jamaal Wolfe (Jr.) G 6-0 180 1.7/1.8 Baton Rouge, La.22 Maurice Carter (Sr.) G 6-4 205 17.0/5.5 Jackson, Miss.TOP RESERVES
No. Player (Yr.) Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown 4 Stromile Swift (Fr.) F 6-9 210 4.9/2.7 Shreveport, La.12 Darryl Cooper (Fr.) G 6-3 180 3.1/0.9 Stone Mtn., Ga.00 Omar-Seli Mance (Fr.) G 6-3 180 2.7/1.8 Lithonia, Ga.54 Brad Bridgewater (Fr.) F 6-8 240 2.4/1.8 Baton Rouge, La.OLE MISS-LSU SERIES
Wednesday's game will be the 174th meeting between the two schools. The series with the Tigers, which began in 1909, is the second longest in Ole Miss basketball history. LSU leads the all-time series, 102-71, but the Rebels have won five straight and seven of the last nine in the series. Ole Miss posted victories in last season's two meetings, an 80-58 win in Oxford and an 83-57 win in Baton Rouge. The Rebels' current five-game winning streak against LSU is the longest since Ole Miss won eight straight over the Tigers from 1936-38. LSU holds a 62-25 lead in games played in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss has won the last two games in Baton Rouge, but prior to that, Ole Miss had lost 21 straight on the Tigers' homecourt.
1997-98 MEETINGS
January 21, 1998 - Oxford, Miss.
#13 Ole Miss 80, LSU 58
LSU FG-A 3P-A FT-A Reb Pts Ast Blk StlCarter, C. 4-6 0-0 3-4 9 11 0 0 1Washington 2-9 2-4 0-0 1 6 2 0 1Collins 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0Carter, M. 8-14 2-5 3-5 4 21 2 0 0Anderson 6-8 0-2 3-4 3 15 4 0 1Earl 1-1 0-0 1-2 0 3 0 0 0Potts 0-2 0-2 2-2 1 2 1 0 0Tucker 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 4 0 2Caston 0-0 0-0 0-1 2 0 1 0 0TEAM 4Totals 21-42 4-13 12-18 27 58 14 0 5February 18, 1998 - Baton Rouge, La.
Ole Miss FG-A 3P-A FT-A Reb Pts Ast Blk StlSmith 5-6 0-0 1-3 7 11 0 0 3Sesay 9-18 2-5 5-7 1 25 4 0 2Rogers 2-3 0-0 3-4 2 7 1 2 0White 1-1 1-1 2-2 2 5 4 0 2Carter 3-5 2-4 2-2 4 10 3 1 3Darby 3-11 0-4 2-2 2 8 2 0 1Flanigan 2-3 0-1 0-0 3 4 1 0 1Cantrell 1-2 1-1 0-0 0 3 0 0 0Lockhart 3-6 0-0 1-2 6 7 1 0 1TEAM 1Totals 29-55 6-16 16-22 28 80 16 3 13
LSU 30 28 - 58Ole Miss 45 35 - 80Officials: David Dodge, Rick Crawford, Doug ShowsAttendance: 8,155
#15 Ole Miss 83, LSU 57
Ole Miss FG-A 3P-A FT-A Reb Pts Ast Blk StlSmith 3-5 0-0 2-2 4 8 1 0 1Sesay 5-8 0-0 4-4 6 14 1 1 0Boone, A. 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 1 0 0White 3-4 0-0 0-0 3 6 2 0 1Carter 9-14 4-7 2-3 1 24 0 1 2Darby 5-9 3-5 2-5 3 15 3 0 2Flanigan 0-3 0-1 3-4 1 3 0 1 0Cantrell 2-4 2-4 0-0 3 6 2 0 1Rogers 2-3 0-0 0-2 7 4 4 6 0Lockhart 0-4 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0Carpenter 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 0 0TEAM 0Totals 30-55 9-17 14-22 30 83 14 9 7PLAY THEM ON WEDNESDAY
LSU FG-A 3P-A FT-A Reb Pts Ast Blk StlAnderson 1-5 0-2 0-0 0 2 1 0 0Washington 3-6 1-1 5-6 2 12 2 1 0Carter, C. 5-11 0-0 2-5 10 12 1 0 0Tucker 4-6 0-0 1-3 3 9 2 1 0Carter, M. 2-8 0-2 3-4 2 7 2 0 1Collins 1-10 0-1 3-4 7 5 2 0 1Caston 1-2 0-0 4-6 3 6 0 0 0Earl 0-0 0-0 1-2 2 1 0 0 0Potts 1-3 1-2 0-0 0 3 0 0 0TEAM 7Totals 18-51 2-8 19-30 36 57 10 2 2
Ole Miss 42 41 - 83LSU 24 33 - 57Officials: Gerald Boudreaux, Gene Monje, Jamie JonesAttendance: 7,514
During football season in Baton Rouge, they say playing games on Saturday night is special. Well, for the Ole Miss basketball team, playing LSU on Wednesday nights - either in Baton Rouge or Oxford - has been special for the Rebels. Ole Miss has won five straight over LSU, and all five wins have come in Wednesday games. In fact, the Rebels have defeated the Tigers the last six times the two teams have met in Wednesday night games, dating back to the 1994-95 season. The last time LSU defeated Ole Miss in a Wednesday night contest was Jan. 21, 1995, an 87-81 win in Baton Rouge. The Tigers' last victory in the overall series was a 71-66 win on Feb. 3, 1996 (a Saturday night) in Baton Rouge. However, Ole Miss will close the regular season versus LSU on Feb. 27, which is a Saturday.
FEBRUARY...YOU'RE FINALLY HERE
Well, February is the month the Rebels have been waiting for, and it's finally here. The past three seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98), Ole Miss has played well in the month of February, posting an 17-5 mark. The following chart shows the Rebels' success in the month of February over the past three seasons:
Year Record Heading Into Feb. Feb. Record Record After Feb.1997-98 14-4 7-1 21-51996-97 13-6 5-1 18-71995-96 7-10 5-3 12-13Cumulative Feb. Record 17-5THE MAGIC NUMBER IS...
Well, for the Rebels, it seems as if that number is 70. In the past three seasons (1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99), Ole Miss has an incredible 51-4 record (.927 winning percentage) when it scores 70 points or more in a game. On the other hand, the Rebels are 6-19 when they net less than 70 points in a game. This season, Ole Miss has a 14-1 record when it eclipses the 70-point plateau.
SMITH "STEALS" THE RECORD
Senior All-SEC candidate Jason Smith (Wheatley, Ark.) has done it. In Saturday's win over Arkansas, the 6-foot-6 forward placed his name at the top of the Ole Miss career steals chart. Smith entered the Arkansas game with 177 and needed three steals to move past Eric Laird (1982-85), who recorded 179 swipes in his career. He tied Laird for the top spot at the 4:22 mark of the first half, and then with only 32 seconds left before halftime, Smith recorded his third steal of the contest and took over sole possession of the record (see career charts on page 5). This season, Smith is second on the team in steals with 42.
CARTER EXPLODES FOR CAREER-HIGH SCORING GAME
Dare we say it? Yes, Dan Patrick, we must. In Saturday's victory over Arkansas, senior All-America candidate Keith Carter (Perryville, Ark.) was en fuego - on fire. Carter bombed his home state school for a career-high tying 33 points in the Rebels' victory. He also netted 33 points Ole Miss' victory over Temple on Nov. 22, 1997. En route to his career-high tying performance, Carter recorded a career best by hitting 10 free throws. The 6-foot-4 guard also scored 10 of his 33 points in a key second-half run which turned a 53-50 Razorback lead into a 60-57 Ole Miss advantage. With his 33 points versus Arkansas on Saturday, Carter now has 1,511 points for his career.
CARTER HAS A LONG-RANGE RECORD
Senior All-America candidate Keith Carter has his name throughout the Ole Miss record book, and on the Rebel career three-pointers made chart, Carter's name is at the top. With his five treys in Ole Miss' win over Georgia on Jan. 23, Carter set the career record with 218 three-pointers, passing the former record of 214 held by Joe Harvell (1990-93). Carter enters Wednesday's game versus LSU with 225 career treys. Carter came into the Georgia game with 213 three-pointers, and hit the record-breaking 215th trey at the 9:53 mark of the first half. This season, Carter has hit 53 treys and is shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. Carter's 225 career three-pointers rank him among the SEC's top 20 career three-point shooters.
A LOOK BACK
If Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes gets a little sentimental when he walks into the Maravich Assembly Center on Wednesday, he has a reason to be. Barnes played his final game in an Ole Miss uniform at the Assembly Center in the 1987-88 season. On Mar. 11, 1988, Barnes scored 18 points and had three rebounds, as the Rebels fell to Kentucky, 82-64 in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament (hosted by LSU). One day earlier (Mar. 10), Barnes netted a team-high 19 points in leading the Rebels to a 64-59 overtime win over Alabama in the tournament's first round.
A WINNING CLASS
The 1999 senior class will go down in Ole Miss basketball history as helping produce one of the most successful runs for the Rebels. The five seniors have helped the Rebels to win consecutive Southeastern Conference Western Division titles, the first regular season championships of any kind for the Ole Miss basketball program. They also helped Ole Miss earn back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths. Well, the senior class seems to be on track for another first in Rebel basketball history. The 1999 senior class has posted 69 victories, which is the second most for a four-year span in Rebel basketball history. The following charts lists the most successful (in terms of number of victories) in Ole Miss history:
Four-Year Span No. of Wins1979-80 to 1982-83 701995-96 to present 691935-36 to 1938-39 631994-95 to 1997-98 621978-79 to 1981-82 621923-24 to 1926-27 621980-81 to 1983-84 611936-37 to 1939-40 611934-35 to 1937-38 61CARTER NAMED PRESEASON NAISMITH CANDIDATE
Senior Keith Carter was named as one of 20 preseason candidates for the 1999 Naismith College Player of the Year, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club in early October. Carter is one of four players from the Southeastern Conference to be named among the preseason candidates. Georgia's Jumaine Jones, South Carolina's BJ McKie and Kentucky's Scott Padgett were also among the 20 preseason candidates for the player of the year honor.
This past summer, Carter played an integral role in helping lead the USA Goodwill Games Team to a 4-1 record and the gold medal. It was the first time that a USA amateur team had won gold in international play since 1986.
In the five games, Carter averaged 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point arc.
Following the 1997-98 season, the Perryville, Ark., native was named to the Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference second team. This season, Carter is averaging 16.9 points (leads the team) and 4.4 rebounds per game.
CARTER IN AN ELITE GROUP
Senior All-America candidate Keith Carter is in an elite group in Ole Miss basketball history. That is, if you can count one as a group. Carter currently has 542 career rebounds, and is the only guard in Rebel basketball history to record over 500 boards in a career. Overall, Carter's 542 rebounds are the 13th most in Rebel basketball history. The following chart shows the top rebounders in Ole Miss history:
Player/Position Rebs Player/Position Rebs1. Walter Actwood/F 945 8. Sean Murphy/C 6972. Elston Turner/F 828 9. Duaine Boucher/F 6813. Joe Gibbon/F 827 10. Joe Harvell/F 6364. John Stroud/F 826 11. Jason Smith/F 5955. Coolidge Ball/F 754 12. Roger Steig/C 5556. Fred Cox/C 729 13. Keith Carter/G 5427. Ansu Sesay/F 699 14. Ivan Richmann/C 537REBELS VERSUS THE SEC WESTERN DIVISION
The Rebels have a 36-39 regular-season record versus teams from the SEC Western Division (includes 4-1 mark this year). Ole Miss is 36-40 versus the SEC Western Division teams, including tournament play (includes 4-1 mark this year). The Rebels, however, have been successful versus their SEC Western Division foes the last three years (1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99), posting a 19-6 record. The following charts show the Rebels' year-by-year record versus the SEC Western Division and their mark against each school from the Western Division (includes tournament games):
Year-By-Year Versus Record Against The SECThe SEC Western Division Western Division Teams(Regular Season Only) (Includes Tourney Games)1991-92 2-8 Alabama 7-81992-93 4-6 Arkansas 6-101993-94 4-6 Auburn 7-81994-95 3-7 LSU 8-71995-96 4-6 Miss. State 8-71996-97 7-3 Total 36-401997-98 8-21998-99 4-1Total 36-39CARTER MOVES INTO NO. 8 SPOT ON SCORING CHART
Senior All-America candidate Keith Carter moved into the No. 8 spot on Ole Miss career scoring chart after scoring 14 points in Ole Miss' 81-68 win over Mississippi State on Jan. 20. Carter now has 1,511 career points after his incredible 33-point performance versus Arkansas on Jan. 30. On his current pace of averaging 16.9 points per game, Carter could climb as high as No. 5 on the Ole Miss career scoring chart by the end of the regular season. In the Rebels' victory over Alabama A&M on Nov. 23, Carter passed his head coach, Rod Barnes, on the Ole Miss career scoring chart. Barnes scored 1,201 points in his career from 1985-88 (see career charts box on page 5).
SMITH MOVES UP TO NO. 22 SPOT ON CAREER CHART
Senior All-SEC candidate Jason Smith reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career during the Rebels' trip to the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic Dec. 21-23. Smith netted 36 points in the tournament's three games. After scoring 17 points versus Arkansas on Jan. 30, he now has 1,103 career points and is in the No. 21 spot on the Rebel career scoring chart. He needs only three points to move past Fred Cox (1972-74) into the No. 20 spot. Cox scored 1,105 points in his career.
"MR. DO-IT-ALL" IS DOING IT ALL
Senior Jason Smith knows high-flying dunks. Smith knows tough defense and steals. But, Smith knows assists? Well, believe it! Don't look at the stat sheet now, but Smith leads the Rebels in assists with 65. The 6-foot-6 forward dished out a career-high tying seven assists versus South Carolina on Jan. 27. He also recorded seven assists in the Rebels' victory over Prairie View A&M on Dec. 29. In the Rebels' last six games, Smith is averaging 3.8 assists per contest.
"GET THAT SHOT OUTTA HERE!"; ROGERS SECOND ON CAREER BLOCKED SHOTS CHART
That saying has become the personal motto for senior forward Johnnie Rogers (Laurel, Miss.) throughout his career at Ole Miss. The 6-foot-9 forward leads the squad with 22 blocked shots in 17 games this year. In the Rebels' Jan. 2 game at Vanderbilt, Rogers recorded the 100th blocked shot of his career. After recording one block in limited action versus Georgia on Jan. 23, Rogers is now in second place on the Ole Miss career blocked shots chart with 109. Rogers passed David Dean (1993-94), who had 108 blocks in his career (see career charts on page 5). Sean Murphy (1988-91) is the Ole Miss record holder for blocks in a career with 180. The previous two seasons, Rogers has led the Rebel squad in blocked shots with 39 in 1996-97 and 48 in 1997-98. Rogers' career high for blocked shots is six which he has set on three occasions. He recorded six blocks versus LSU (Feb. 18, 1998), Louisiana Tech (Nov. 19, 1997) and Davidson (Dec. 2, 1996).
REBELS HITTING THEIR MARK
Ole Miss has been shooting extremely well from the field this season, and is currently hitting 48.3 percent from the floor for the season. The Rebels have shot 50 percent or better 12 times this year. In 1997-98, Ole Miss shot 50 percent or better in only 10 games all season, while in 1996-97, the Rebels shot 50 percent or higher in five games. In the NCAA team statistical leaders released on Jan. 25, Ole Miss was 17th in the country in field goal percentage (48.3 percent). Junior Marcus Hicks (Jackson, Tenn.) is ranked third (66.4 percent) among the NCAA individual leaders in field goal percentage.
A YEAR OF FIRSTS
With Rod Barnes in his first season at the helm of the Rebel program, one would expect a lot of "firsts," and there have been. The following are the "firsts" for Barnes:
First win: Alabama State (87-45), Nov. 13First win away from home: St. Joseph's (66-61), Dec. 21First win vs. ranked opponent: Oklahoma (75-72), Dec. 22First SEC win: Alabama (78-60), Jan. 6First SEC road win: Arkansas (76-65), Jan. 9First road win vs. ranked opponent: Arkansas (76-65), Jan. 9First home win vs. ranked opponent: Arkansas (89-81), Jan. 30First SEC season sweep: Arkansas (76-65), Jan. 9 and Arkansas (89-81), Jan. 30SMITH NEARING 600
Earlier this season, senior All-SEC candidate Jason Smith broke 500, and now he is closing in on 600. With five more rebounds, Smith will become only the 11th player in Ole Miss basketball history to record 600 rebounds in a career. Smith now has 595 career rebounds, and is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game this season.
TIP-INS...
Wednesday's contest will be the Rebels' fourth on television this season. Ole Miss has a 2-1 record in its three previous television appearances ...Rod Barnes' 15 victories is tied for the third most by a Rebel head coach in his first season. Barnes is tied with Ed Murphy, who had 15 wins in his first season in 1986-87. Lee Hunt (19 wins; 1982-83) and Homer Hazel (16; 1925-26) posted more wins in their first seasons at the helm...Ole Miss has recorded 20 or more assists in eight games - all Rebel wins...After a slow start in SEC play, junior Marcus Hicks has picked up his game lately. In the Rebels' last three games, Hicks is averaging 13.7 points and 6.3 boards. He is also shooting 60.7 percent from the field. In the four games prior, Hicks was averaging 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor...Since moving into the starting lineup on Jan. 6, Jason Flanigan (Little Rock, Ark.) is averaging 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds. Prior to that, he was averaging 4.7 points and 2.5 boards.
