Men's Basketball Hosts LSU

Feb. 14, 2000

Game #25
#23 LSU (19-4, 6-4)
at Ole Miss (15-8, 3-7)

Wednesday, February 16 - 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Tad Smith Coliseum - Oxford, Miss.

Rebels on Television and Radio

Television: None

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play, Sean Tuohy, color analyst, Stan Sandroni, pregame/halftime/postgame host)

OLE MISS TO HOST LSU IN A SEC WESTERN DIVISION CLASH ON WEDNESDAY

The Ole Miss Rebels (15-8, 3-7 SEC) return home on Wednesday, Feb. 16 to host the No. 23 nationally-ranked LSU Tigers (19-4, 6-4 SEC) in a Southeastern Conference Western Division encounter. The contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (CT) at Tad Smith Coliseum. The Rebels enter Wednesday's contest after winning two of their last three games. In its last outing on Feb. 12, Ole Miss fell at Georgia, 71-65. The Tigers enter Wednesday's contest on a three-game winning streak, having defeated Alabama (93-60), Auburn (83-68) and Kentucky (70-57).

OLE MISS-LSU SERIES

Wednesday's game will be the 179th 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, 102-76, but the Rebels have won seven straight and nine of the last 11 in the series. Last year, the Rebels swept LSU, winning 82-66 in Baton Rouge and 79-57 in Oxford. The Rebels' current seven-game winning streak against LSU is the longest since Ole Miss won eight straight over the Tigers from 1936-38. The Rebels hold a 48-31 lead in games played in Oxford, and have won the last seven games played in Tad Smith Coliseum. The last LSU win in Oxford was an 83-73 victory on Jan. 25, 1992.

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

No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
22	Jason Flanigan (Jr.)	G	6-1	175	8.3/3.0	Little Rock, Ark.
32	Emmanuel Wade (Fr.)	G	6-3	185	5.1/1.7	Marianna, Ark.
24	Marcus Hicks (Sr.)	F	6-6	200	15.2/5.7	Jackson, Tenn.
25	Lataryl Williams (Sr.)	F	6-7	200	9.1/3.4	Oxford, Miss.
44	Rahim Lockhart (Jr.)	F	6-8	250	12.7/8.8	Mendenhall, Miss.

- RESERVES -

No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
11	Jason Harrison (So.)	G	5-5	150	8.0/2.7	Little Rock, Ark.
15	Ray Waddell (Jr.)	G	5-9	165	0.9/0.6	Philadelphia, Miss.
20	Jason Holmes (Jr.)	G	6-5	200	3.8/1.8	Tylertown, Miss.
21	Darrian Brown (So.)	G/F	6-6	200	7.4/3.3	West Memphis, Ark.
23	Syniker Taylor (Fr.)	G	6-0	195	1.5/1.2	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	3.2/1.9	Oxford, Miss.
45	Richard Kirklin (Fr.)	F	6-9	200	2.0/1.9	Pine Bluff, Ark.
54	John Engstrom (So.)	C	7-0	245	0.9/0.9	Paragould, Ark.

# - will seek a medical redshirt at the end of the season

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
Second Game - February 27, 1999
Ole Miss 79, LSU 57

On "Senior Day" at Ole Miss, senior Jason Smith netted a game-high tying 20 points and senior Keith Carter added 13 points to lead the Rebels to a 79-57 Southeastern Conference victory to close regular-season play. Junior Marcus Hicks also scored in double figures for Ole Miss with 16 points. Hicks led the Rebels with six boards.

Maurice Carter led LSU with 20 points, while Jabari Smith added 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Freshman Stromile Swift collected four blocks for the Tigers.

After an emotional pregame ceremony for the seniors, Ole Miss came out on fire, jumping out to a 9-0 lead in the first 2:30 of the contest. The Rebels continued to build their lead, increasing the advantage to 13 points at 18-5 with 14 minutes left. LSU was able to cut the Ole Miss lead to seven at 37-30, but the Rebels closed the first half with a 6-0 run to take a 43-30 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Ole Miss continued to increase its advantage, building the lead to as many as 24 points. The Rebels put the game out of reach with a 14-4 opening spurt in the second half.

The Rebels shot 50 percent from the field and 60 percent from the charity stripe. LSU hit 41.9 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the free throw line. The Tigers won the battle on the boards, 37-26. Ole Miss forced 30 LSU turnovers.

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
First Game - February 3, 1999
Ole Miss 82, LSU 66

Senior All-America candidate Keith Carter netted a game-high tying 21 points and grabbed six boards, and junior Marcus Hicks added 13 points and five rebounds to lead Ole Miss to an 82-66 Southeastern Conference win over LSU. Darrian Brown (11 points) and Michael White (10) also scored in double figures for the Rebels. Johnnie Rogers led Ole Miss on the boards with seven rebounds.

Maurice Carter scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Tigers. Jabari Smith (18 points), Jermaine Williams (11) and Omar-Seli Mance (11) also scored in double figures for LSU. Smith had eight rebounds for the Tigers.

LSU jumped out to an early 9-3 lead on consecutive treys by Williams, Carter and Mance. From that point, Ole Miss went on a 9-2 run - fueled by Carter's three-pointer and Brown's three-point play - to take the lead for good at 12-11 with 12:12 left in the first half. The Rebels continued to build on their advantage, and when Jason Harrison hit a three-pointer at the 7:19 mark, Ole Miss had a 26-15 lead. LSU was able to cut the Rebel lead to five at 29-24, but another late Rebel run pushed the lead back to 11 (36-25) at the half.

In the second half, Ole Miss maintained its lead, as the Tigers could pull no closer than six points. The Rebels then hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the victory.

Ole Miss shot 44.4 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from the charity stripe. LSU hit 44.7 percent from the floor and 43.8 percent from the three-point arc. LSU won the battle of the boards, 38-28.

SCOUTING LSU

The Tigers, ranked No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll, bring a 19-4 overall record and a 6-4 Southeastern Conference mark into Wednesday's game. LSU has won three straight and six of its last seven games, with the lone setback being a narrow 68-66 loss at Mississippi State. The Tigers have four players scoring in double figures, with sophomore Stromile Swift leading the way with a 17.6 average. Jabari Smith (13.4 ppg), Brian Beshara (13.1 ppg) and Lamont Roland (10.2 ppg) are also averaging double figures for LSU. Swift and Smith lead the Tigers on the boards with rebounding averages of 8.2 and 7.3, respectively. Swift also leads the team and conference in field goal percentage at 62.2 percent. The Tigers are shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from the three-point arc and 63.2 percent from the charity stripe. LSU is averaging 79.4 points and 40.5 rebounds per game, and is out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 8.5 boards per game.

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

No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
2	Brian Beshara (Jr.)	F	6-8	220	13.1/5.2	Dallas, Texas
4	Stromile Swift (So.)	F	6-9	225	17.6/8.2	Shreveport, La.
52	Jabari Smith (Sr.)	C	6-11	250	13.4/7.3	Atlanta, Ga.
3	Torris Bright (Fr.)	G	6-4	200	9.9/3.8	Slidell, La.
43	Lamont Roland (Jr.)	G	6-4	205	10.2/4.3	New Albany, Ind.

- TOP RESERVES -

No.	Player (Yr.)	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	PPG/RPG	Hometown
21	Jermaine Williams (So.)	F	6-6	180	5.0/3.1	Baton Rouge, La.
12	Ronald Dupree (Fr.)	F	6-6	205	4.7/3.2	Biloxi, Miss.
41	Collis Temple III (Fr.)	G	6-6	205	3.7/1.6	Baton Rouge, La.
54	Brad Bridgewater (So.)	F	6-8	205	1.8/1.3	New Roads, La.

OLE MISS-LSU TEAM COMPARISONS

Ole Miss	Statistical Category	LSU
74.4	Scoring Offense	79.4
68.3	Scoring Defense	63.3
38.7	Rebound Avg.	40.5
32.7	Opponent Rebound Avg.	32.0
+6.0	Rebound Margin	+8.5
46.0	Field Goal Percentage	49.5
42.4	Opponent Field Goal Percentage	39.2
34.7	Three-Point Field Goal Percentage	35.9
31.9	Opp. Three-Point Field Goal Percentage	32.3
65.3	Free Throw Percentage	63.2
395	Turnovers	396
367	Opponent Turnovers	418
339	Assists	370
97	Blocks	125
172	Steals	232

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' loss at Georgia on Feb. 12, Barnes' overall coaching record now stands at 35-21. 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 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 (17th, 1,201 points), assists (2nd, 456) and steals (6th, 154).

"TAD PAD" SWEET "TAD PAD"

Yes, the school-record 29-game homecourt winning streak came to an end last year, but Tad Smith Coliseum (a.k.a. the "Tad Pad") is still one of the toughest arenas in the nation for opposing teams to play. Despite dropping two conference games at home this season, Ole Miss has still won 59 of its last 65 games (.908 winning percentage) at home, including homecourt winning streaks of 15 and 29 games. The Rebels are 11-2 at Tad Smith Coliseum this season. Ole Miss also owns the third longest homecourt winning streak versus non-conference opponents in the nation at 33 (Maryland is first at 70 straight). In the past eight seasons (1992-present), Ole Miss has an overall home record of 87-27 (.763 winning percentage).

FEBRUARY...YOU'RE FINALLY HERE

February is the month the Rebels have been waiting for, and it's finally here. The past four seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99), Ole Miss has played well in the month of February, posting a 20-9 mark. With their 2-1 record in February this year, the Rebels' mark in the month since 1996 is 22-10 (.688 winning percentage). The following chart shows the Rebels' success in the month of February over the past five seasons:

Year	Record Heading Into Feb.	Feb. Record	Record After Feb.
1999-2000	13-7	2-1	---
1998-99	15-7	3-4	18-11*
1997-98	14-4	7-1	21-5*
1996-97	13-6	5-1	18-7*
1995-96	7-10	5-3	12-13
Cumulative Feb. Record	22-10 (.688 winning percentage)

* team received NCAA Tournament bid

REBELS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS AT HOME

Ole Miss has a 9-4 record versus ranked opponents at Tad Smith Coliseum since the beginning of the 1994-95 season. This year, Ole Miss is 1-1 versus ranked opponents at Tad Smith Coliseum, dropping a narrow 75-71 decision to then-No. 6 Florida on Jan. 8 and defeating then-No. 4 Auburn 79-77 in overtime on Jan. 22. Prior to the Auburn loss last season, Ole Miss had won its last six games versus ranked opponents at Tad Smith Coliseum. The Rebels defeated Temple (#18), South Carolina (#11) and Arkansas (#12) in 1997-98, Kentucky (#3) in 1996-97, and Auburn (#21) and Mississippi State (#25) in 1995-96. Ole Miss' first win over a ranked opponent since the 1994-95 season was a 76-71 win over No. 3 Arkansas on Jan. 4, 1995. (NOTE: Ole Miss also lost to No. 5 Kentucky, 82-65 in the 1994-95 season, but that home game was played at The Pyramid in Memphis.)

LOCKHART DOUBLES HIS PLEASURE-AN 11TH TIME

Junior Rahim Lockhart (Mendenhall, Miss.) has certainly doubled his pleasure for the Rebels in 1999-2000, as he has recorded 11 double-doubles. His last double-double performance came versus Georgia on Feb. 12 with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Lockhart is currently averaging 12.7 points (17th in SEC) and 8.8 rebounds (2nd in SEC). 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 car-high blks (4)
Oregon St.	11	12
Wisconsin-GB	13	13
Alabama St.	12	10
Oklahoma	13	10
Memphis	22	13
Louisiana-Monroe	18	11
Arkansas	14	10
Georgia	11	13

The junior forward now has 12 career double-doubles, as his first came last season against Tennessee (Feb. 17, 16 pts-12 rebs).

AN ALL-STAR REUNION

Wednesday's contest will be an all-star reunion-of sorts. Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes, Rebel senior forward Marcus Hicks (Jackson, Tenn.) and LSU junior forward Brian Beshara were all members of the Southeastern Conference All-Stars that traveled to Japan last August. Barnes, who served as the team's co-head coach with LSU's John Brady, guided the SEC All-Stars to a 4-1 record versus the Japan National Team. Hicks averaged 10 points and 6.2 boards, and led the team in rebounding, blocked shots and field goal percentage. Beshara played in all five games and averaged 8.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.

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 69-8 record (.896 winning percentage) when it scores 70 points or more in a game. On the other hand, the Rebels are 7-29 when they net less than 70 points in a game. This year, the Rebels are 13-2 when scoring 70 points or more. In SEC action the last four seasons (1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000), Ole Miss has a 33-5 record (.868 winning percentage) when scoring 70 or more points.

FLANIGAN BREAKS 200 ASSISTS, TIES CAREER HIGH

Junior guard Jason Flanigan (Little Rock, Ark.) reached a milestone in the Rebels' 83-75 victory over South Carolina on Feb. 9, surpassing the 200-assist plateau for his career. He dished out a career-high tying nine assists versus the Gamecocks, and after his two-assist performance at Georgia, Flanigan now has 208 for his career. He also dished out nine assists versus Northwestern State during his freshman campaign in 1997-98. This season, the 6-foot-1 guard has 79 assists (second on team), and is ranked 10th in the SEC in that statistical category.

HARRISON CLOSING IN ON 200 ASSISTS

Sophomore Jason Harrison (Little Rock, Ark.) is also closing in on the 200-assist plateau. With his one assist versus Georgia on Feb. 12, Harrison now has 175 for his career. He recorded the 150th assist of his career in the Rebels' game versus Mississippi State on Jan. 12. The 5-foot-5 guard leads the team with 89 assists this season, and is ranked ninth in the SEC in assists. Harrison is also on pace to become the first Rebel since Cedric Brim in 1994-95 to have 100 assists or more in a season.

"GET THAT SHOT OUTTA HERE!!!"

With his three blocked shots versus Arkansas on Feb. 2, junior Rahim Lockhart moved into the top five on the Ole Miss career blocked shot chart. The 6-foot-8 forward currently has 75 career blocks and is No. 5 on the chart. In the Arkansas contest, he passed former Rebel Ronnie Sims, who recorded 71 blocked shots in his career from 1985-86. Lockhart leads the Rebels in blocked shots this season with 38, and is fifth in the SEC in blocks.

WADE PLAYING WELL FOR THE REBELS

Freshman Emmanuel Wade (Marianna, Ark.) has come on strong of late for the Rebels-especially in the last six games . The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 9.8 points and 2.7 boards in the six-game stretch, which includes three starts. He is also shooting 50 percent (21-of-42) from the field and 50 percent (9-of-18) from the three-point arc in the last six games. He had a career game versus Alabama on Jan. 29, recording career bests of 19 points, seven field goals and four treys. His previous career bests were points (14), field goals (6) and treys (2) came versus Birmingham-Southern on Jan. 2. In the Rebels' victory over South Carolina on Feb. 9, Wade grabbed a career-best five rebounds.

BARNES THIRD FASTEST TO 35 WINS

With the Rebels' win over South Carolina on Feb. 9, Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes posted his 35th victory in only the 55th game in his career as the Rebel mentor. Barnes reached the 35-win plateau the third fastest of any head coach in Ole Miss basketball history. See the following chart:

Head Coach	Overall Coaching Record at Time of 35th win	Game Which Recorded 35th Win
Homer Hazel	35-16	51st
George Bohler	35-19	54th
Rod Barnes	35-20	55th
Ed Murphy	35-33	68th
Bonnie Graham	35-39	74th
Lee Hunt	35-44	79th
Cob Jarvis	35-46	81st
Bob Weltlich	35-50	85th
Rob Evans	35-54	89th

SOMETHING GOOD EVENTUALLY COMES...

And it did on Jan. 22 when the Rebels upset then-No.4 Auburn, 79-77 in overtime. Since the skid, Ole Miss is 3-2. Although the Rebels are only 3-7 in Southeastern Conference play, the Ole Miss basketball program has proven resilient in recent years after losing streaks. The following charts that:

Year	Losing Streak	Following Streak
1995-96	Begin SEC 0-5	Close SEC with 6-5 run to finish conference at 6-10, team was base for two SEC West titles in 1997 and 1998
1997-98	Three-game losing streak in early Feb.	Made up three-game deficit to claim 2nd SEC West title,
	(0-3)	2nd NCAA berth
1998-99	Four-game skid in late February (0-4)	Won 2 of 3 down stretch to earn third straight NCAA bid, won program's first NCAA game and advanced to second round
1999-2000	Begin SEC 0-5	Has 3-2 record since skid

SHOOTING THE LIGHTS OUT

For the third time this season, Ole Miss shot 60 percent or better from the field in its victory over Arkansas on Feb. 2. The Rebels hit 61.2 percent from the floor versus the Razorbacks, and also shot better than 60 percent in wins over Southeastern Louisiana (63 percent, Dec. 15) and Birmingham-Southern (62 percent, Jan. 2). It is the first time the Rebels have shot 60 percent or better in three games in the same season since the inception of the shot clock in the mid-1980s. Prior to that Dec. 15 game versus Southeastern Louisiana, the last time the Rebels shot 60 percent or better from the field came in a 98-70 win over Lamar on Dec. 4, 1993. Ole Miss hit 60.3 percent in that victory.

HICKS REACHES 700-POINT MILESTONE

Senior Marcus Hicks reached another milestone in his Rebel career, surpassing the 700-point plateau in Ole Miss' victory over Arkansas on Feb. 2. The 6-foot-6 forward entered the Arkansas game with 684 points, and after his 31-point performance versus the Razorbacks, he had 715 points. With his three points versus Georgia on Feb. 12, Hicks now has 736 career points in 56 games. He scored point No. 700 on a layup with 2:12 left in the first half versus Arkansas. On Jan. 8, Hicks passed the 600-point plateau, scoring point No. 600 on a free throw at the 16:53 mark of the first half versus the Gators. Earlier this season, Hicks reached the 500-point plateau in the Rebels' game at Oklahoma on Dec. 4. Hicks entered the game with 492 points, and scored his 500th point on a free throw at the 3:10 mark of the first half versus the Sooners.

HICKS ALSO PASSES 300-REBOUND MARK

Senior Marcus Hicks really doubled his pleasure in the Rebels' win over Arkansas on Feb. 2. Hicks' double-double of 31 points and 10 rebounds not only allowed him to reach the 700-point milestone but also surpass the 300-rebound mark. The 6-foot-6 forward entered the Arkansas game with 292 career boards, and his 10 rebounds versus the Razorbacks gave him 302. He now has 310 after grabbing one board versus Georgia on Feb. 12. This season, Hicks is the Rebels' second-leading rebounder with a 5.7 average. He was also the team's second-leading rebounder in 1998-99 with a 5.4 average. Hicks came to Ole Miss from Northwest Mississippi C.C., where he compiled 624 rebounds in two seasons from 1996-98.

LOCKHART REACHES 400-REBOUND MILESTONE

Junior Rahim Lockhart has been a rebounding machine for the Rebels this season, and as a result of his board prowess, he has reached the 400-rebound plateau for his career. With his five boards versus Arkansas on Feb. 2, the 6-foot-8 forward reached the 400-board plateau. After recording 13 boards versus Georgia on Feb. 12, he now has 422 career rebounds. Lockhart entered the 1999-2000 season with 220 career rebounds, and has grabbed 202 so far this year. Lockhart leads the Rebels with an 8.8 rebounding average.

TIP-INS...

Wednesday's game will feature two of the SEC's best in rebound margin. LSU leads the league in that statistical category at 8.5, while Ole Miss is third at 6.0...With one more victory, Ole Miss would guarantee its fourth consecutive winning season. The last time the Rebel basketball program put together four straight winning seasons was 1979-80 through 1982-83 (17-13, 1979-80, 16-14, 1980-81, 18-12, 1981-82, 19-12, 1982-83). The last time the Rebels had more than four consecutive winning campaigns was nine straight from 1919-20 through 1927-28...Freshman forward John Gunn (Oxford, Miss.) missed the South Carolina and Georgia games as a result of mononucleosis.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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