The University of Mississippi Athletics
2001 Sweet Sixteen Squad To Be Honored Saturday
3/1/2011 | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss Athletics will be honoring the 2000-01 Rebel hoops team this weekend in recognition of the 10th anniversary of their exciting run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
After throwing out the first pitch of the Rebels' baseball game vs. Tulane at noon on Saturday, members of the 2001 team and staff will be signing autographs of commemorative posters at the Tad Smith Coliseum concourse prior to the 3 p.m. basketball season finale vs. Arkansas. Autograph signing will begin at 2 p.m. on the concourse behind sections S and P.
The team will be recognized during a halftime ceremony, as well.
It will be a full day for the reunited team, as they are also scheduled to tour the Indoor Practice Facility and Basketball Practice Facility during the day, in addition to having breakfast and lunch on campus.
After winning the 2001 Southeastern Conference Western Division championship with an 11-5 league record, Ole Miss made it to the finals of the SEC Tournament before earning a program-best No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels beat first-round foe Iona 72-70 and then upended Notre Dame 59-56 with 5-foot-5 point guard Jason Harrison sinking a deep 3-pointer with less than a minute left to seal the win. Ole Miss lost to eventual national runner-up Arizona 66-56 to end its magical run.
Led by All-American Rahim Lockhart, the 2001 squad is the only team in school history to earn a trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Rebels won a school-record 27 games and boasted a final national ranking of No. 9 - also the best in school history. Rod Barnes was named National and SEC Coach of the Year, and Justin Reed took home Freshman All-America and SEC Freshman of the Year honors.
