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Ole Miss Basketball: Grove Grinder, Yes There Is Madness In March

By Daniel Skipper

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: A general view as the Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: A general view as the Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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With the end of the 2017-18 Ole Miss basketball season there will not be tourney play for the Rebels but there will still be March Madness.

When it comes to the month of March this year we don’t really think about Ole Miss basketball. No, we are thinking about the other spring sports which are taking place on campus in Oxford. Ole Miss baseball is currently ranked No.8 in the nation while Ole Miss softball is currently ranked No.19. Of course, there is a lot of excitement around both programs right now.

However when we do think of March on a sports level we are immediately drawn to March Madness. The beginning of SEC tourney play for Ole Miss basketball gave many of us false hopes of some sort of miracle for this season. I love Ole Miss basketball and hate to see what this season did to the program. It was hard watching AK give up on his team and then watching the season slammed shut in St Louis.

Of course, just because the basketball season may come to close for the Rebels doesn’t mean March will be boring for Ole Miss basketball. Immediately following the end of the season there was still a lot of activity surrounding Ole Miss basketball. There will soon be a new head coach to take the place of Andy Kennedy. Many Ole Miss basketball fans aren’t very happy about the possibility of Kermit Davis being hired. The NCAA Tourney hasn’t even begun yet and there is already madness in March.

The Source Of Madness

Ole Miss Rebels Basketball
Ole Miss Rebels Basketball /

Ole Miss Rebels Basketball

When it comes to the next coach for Ole Miss basketball we had hoped Ross Bjork and Jeff Vitter would make a big time hire. However, there has been very little interest in the job from top-tier coaches. There has been an obvious issue with Ole Miss administration to avoid a hefty salary. So instead of focusing on getting a top-tier coach with a big payday they’ve used The Pavilion as a recruiting tool in their new coaching search.

Many Ole Miss fans believe there were issues between Andy Kennedy and Chancellor Jeff Vitter which led to Kennedy’s departure. Where are the guarantees there won’t be the same problem with Ole Miss administration and the new staff as well? Mess with a coach’s money and we see they lose interest pretty quickly and it can have a detrimental effect on the team’s performance and the season.

Based on what we saw happen to Andy Kennedy and his request for more monies for his staff. We can already expect not much will change until Vitter and Bjork get off the Ole Miss checkbook.

It’s Not Just Us With Madness

On the contrary, there are a lot of other fans from other schools dealing with the madness aspect in March. When you consider there are over 350 DI college basketball teams and only 64 make it to the NCAA Tourney, well you get the picture. It’s a very narrow 64 team field when you look at  the percentage of teams selected. Of course, that leaves a lot of butt-hurt basketball fans.

While some of us never had a shot by mid-season there are others who were playing for a berth and fell just short. TSBU had hopes for their men’s team making the NCAA field of 64 but ran into problems at the SEC Tourney which cost them. Now they are mad about playing in the NIT.

More Madness And A Bracket Challenge

Of course, when we think of ‘March Madness’ we immediately think of the NCAA Tourney and the field of 64. There is a strong likelihood many of you have joined one or more bracket challenges. It hurts me to not see Ole Miss listed in the field but I’m still getting crazy over the bracket madness.

FanSided has introduced their bracket challenge for the NCAA Tourney and it looks to be a great one. I know I’ve signed up and have filled out my bracket and am excited for the action to get started. If you are interested in joining for free you can find it at this link. It’s easy to sign up and will be fun to see how many Rebels we can get in it. There is more info available at the following article.

Next: FanSided Bracket Challenge!

So just because Ole Miss basketball is done for the season there is still more basketball available and it begins March 15. If you want to join and set your brackets there is plenty of time left and then maybe you can get some March Madness too. Good luck and Hotty Toddy!

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