The University of Mississippi Athletics
FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Ole Miss - LSU 1971
1/22/2010 | Men's Basketball
FRIDAY FLASHBACK rewinds to some of the memorable Ole Miss games from the all-time series with Saturday's opponent. The bitter Ole Miss-LSU rivalry extends across all sports, and the late 60s and early 70s saw some great battles betweens the long-time SEC foes on the hardwood. During that time, Pete Maravich's Tigers split their six meetings with the Rebels, and in 1971 in Baton Rouge, Ole Miss' own pistol - Johnny Neumann - shined brightest in a classic shootout. The following is the Associated Press' account of the events of Jan. 30, 1971.
Rebel Gunner May Reach 100
Johnny's 63 Points Top Scoring Effort Of Year
By Ted Meier
Associated Press
Johnny Neumann may be the player destined to score more than 100 points in a single game for an all-time record in major college basketball.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore sharpshooter for Ole Miss threw in 63 points in leading the Rebels over Louisiana State 113-90 Saturday.
This is the highest single-game performance so far this season and put the agile native of Memphis, Tenn., into the top ten of the all-time highest single-game shooters.
Under the run-and-shoot style used by Rebel Coach Robert "Cob" Jarvis, Neumann conceivably could crack the all-time mark set by Frank Selvy of Furman against Newbury nearly two decades ago on Feb. 13, 1954.
Hit Everything
Neumann, already the No. 1 collegiate scorer in the country, tallied from everywhere, but mostly on jumpers from the corners and top of the circle. He hit 26 of 40 shots from the field and 11 of 13 free throws.
"This was probably the best shooting I've done all year," Neumann said.
"Neumann destroyed us," commented Press Maravich, the LSU coach. "He hypnotized us and put the ball in the basket."
Maravich has one consolation. His son, Pistol Pete, still holds the Southeastern Conference record of 69 points for one game set against Alabama last season.
Neumann's heroics overshadowed the clutch shooting of another sophomore, Nick Connor of Illinois. Conner's two baskets in an extra period gave the Illini an upset 69-66 victory over Notre Dame, the team that had knocked out the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press rankings.
