Rebel Redemption

Jan 19, 2013; Oxford, MS, USA; Ole Miss Rebels guard Jarvis Summers (32) grabs a loose ball during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Tad Smith Coliseum. Mississippi defeated Arkansas 76-64. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

On Feb. 13, Ole Miss was upset on the road by Texas A&M 69-67. Andy Kennedy’s coaching was once again thrown under the microscope and Marshall Henderson’s value was being estimated at an all-time low by Rebel fans. Murphy Holloway came up small against a poor rebounding team. Wednesday night on the other hand, was a tale of redemption as the Rebels won 82-73.

Kennedy played ten players with eight of them playing at least 10 minutes. Coming into the game shorthanded, Kennedy had to be creative and he was able to keep at least one of his starting forwards on the court at all times. He had 30 points come from his bench players, led by 18 from a notable source.

Henderson has now been benched in consecutive games and has come through for 14 three-pointers and 46 points. As someone who is noted in the media and blogesphere as a self-promoter, Henderson has been into the game while on the bench with the same emotion as he does when he is in the game. He scored 15 of his points in the second half and passed the ball very well on the night. It was exactly the type of game you like to see from your scorer.

Holloway improved on his 10-5 game in the last meeting with a 16-9 night. He was 7-8 from the field and some of his rebounds just appeared angry. If Holloway can play with that chip on his shoulder and snarl on his lip, the Rebels can go a long way. It’s hard not to think that the Aggies were worried when they saw him smiling at them after his first dunk.

Reginald Buckner also had a good game down low, finishing with 12 points and 7 rebounds in limited minutes. He also had 3 blocks on the night including two monster swats on the same possession. Unless the lane was completely clear, there appeared to be some hesitation in the eyes of the Aggies with Buckner down low.

Jarvis Summers had one of his best games of the season, scoring 15 points with 4 assists, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers. When he is in the game, there is a calming influence and his ball-handling skills cannot be overstated. His maturation this season has been tremendous and if he continues to play like this down the stretch, the horizon looks good for Ole Miss.

Snoop White had 5 early points and saw limited time after that, likely due to a few poor decisions in transition. Nick Williams was just 1-7 from the field with 4 points, but supplied some valuable emotion to the floor. Anthony Perez scored 5 points before going down with a knee injury that left him agonizing on the floor. He had an MRI today that could be crucial to the Ole Miss future. If Perez misses time, the only forwards remaining would be Holloway, Buckner and Terry Brutus.

Despite losing by 9, the Aggies had the players with the game-high in points, rebounds and assists. Elston Turner turned in another stellar performance against the team who turned him away, scoring 25 points. Kourtney Roberson took down 10 rebounds along with his 12 points. Freshman Alex Caruso got an earful all night from Henderson, but managed to finish with 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Fabyon Harris also had 17 points off the bench.

Texas A&M (16-12, 6-9) is now tied with Vanderbilt for 10th in the conference after the Commodores downed Georgia last night 63-62. They will return to the floor Saturday when they play South Carolina at 6 p.m. in Reed Arena in College Station.

Ole Miss (21-7, 10-5) got a much-needed win and find themselves in a very possible opportunity to finish the weekend in a tie for second in the conference. They would need Kentucky to lose at Bud Walton Arena, a place where Arkansas is 7-0 in conference with victories over the likes of Florida, Missouri and Tennessee. Alabama would also have to lose on Saturday when they play the Gators in Gainesville where they are 14-0 this season, having beat Wisconsin, Marquette, Missouri and Ole Miss. The Rebels will play Mississippi State on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs have lost 13 straight games, including losses by a combined 83 points in their last two games at The Hump.