Well it has been quite an up and down Spring for Ole Miss Rebels fans. From wins at Swayze Field, losses at the Tad Pad and a whole lot of questions, this Spring has been full of the usual buzz from Rebel Nation.
Here is the sport-by-sport update from Oxford as of Friday March 7, 201
Men’s Basketball
I think it’s safe to say the men’s hoops team has fallen off the wagon. They have lost 6 out of the last 7 to teams varying in talent. From the Florida Gators to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Rebels have learned how to lose to everyone. Many fans think they’ve given up, and I am ready to agree with them after the game in Fayetteville Wednesday night. The Rebs lost badly to the Hogs 110-81.
If you look at some of the losses this season it appears that other teams want it more, and Andy Kennedy’s squad isn’t playing with a desire to be a tournament team. The fire that was there in March of 2013 isn’t there and that is the difference. Well and their two best big men. Murphy Holloway and Reggie Buckner are missed sorely in the paint and it is obvious. But hey there’s always the NIT right?
Not so fast.
I don’t think the NIT will want to touch this team if they lose badly to Vanderbilt this weekend. Ole Miss wraps up their regular season Saturday at 12:30 at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford. It will be Senior Day for Guard Marshall Henderson, so you know he’ll be more green lighted than ever.
Women’s Basketball
The Ole Miss Women’s team is one with a lot of fight, but they aren’t quite there yet. Matt Insell’s squad ended their season Thursday night with a SEC Tournament loss to Auburn in Duluth. The Rebels had many close games this year and Coach Insell says it’s all a part of the process.
He is excited about the direction his program is moving in, and is happy with the way it is going so far.
His team will watch the NCAA Selection show to get used to watching it in the future years. Here is a feature story by Ole Miss writer Austin Miller highlighting the season and the process of turning the program around.
Baseball
Ole Miss Baseball is off to a fast start once again with only two losses on the year to a good Georgia State team and an even better Memphis team. The Memphis loss this week wasn’t the best pill to swallow as it was mostly backups in the lineup for Ole Miss while Memphis played their starters.
Ole Miss will have to play well the next few games to be in the conversation late in the year. Part of the hosting discussion has to do with strength of the non-conference schedule, and Ole Miss’ non-conference schedule is borderline silly. So in short you need these wins.
The Rebels host UALR for a three-game series this weekend at Swayze Field. Game 1 is Friday at 6:30 PM. For more information visit OleMissBSB.com.
Softball
The Softball Rebels are on quite the winning streak. Starting with sweeping the Red and Blue Classic Tournament in Oxford at the Softball Complex, the Rebels have strung together some wins heading into their first conference series.
Ole Miss was rained out of a tournament in San Diego, so they added two games at Utah State where Carly Hummel tossed a perfect game for the first time in Ole Miss Softball history. The day after, the Rebels returned home for a double-header sweep over UAPB. Game two was a 17-0 win that ended in a 1-4-3 triple play.
It was a pretty good two days for the Softball gals.
The Rebels are in Gainesville for their first conference series against the No. 1 Florida Gators. For more information visit OleMissSports.com.
Spring Football
Coach Hugh Freeze met with the media earlier this week to discuss Spring Football Practice and the off the field issues. It didn’t take long for the off the field things to come up in the presser.
Here’s a quick recap:
-S. Bryant is with the team, but has to complete a list before eligible to play in a game.
-D. Nkemdiche is not with the team and is suspended for the first game of 2014, longer list than Bryant.
-C. Ward will practice mostly as a TE this Spring.
-K. Moore will practice as a CB this Spring.
-J. Liggins will practice at QB and TE this Spring.
I’ll cover a full Spring story as the practices continue including the injury list, and those not participating.
Connor Hennessey is a writer and radio host in Oxford, Miss. He can be reached by email at cmhennes@go.olemiss.edu or @ConnorHennes on Twitter. Visit OleMissSports.com for up-to-date information pertaining to the Ole Miss Rebels.
