No. 22 Ole Miss Looks To Remain Unbeaten Against Southern Miss

Rebels can go 12-0 for first time after matching 11-0 starts of 1936-37 and 2000-01 teams

Dec. 27, 2007

In what appears to be a down year for the SEC, Mississippi has emerged as the league's surprise team.

The No. 22 Rebels look to establish their best unbeaten start to a season Friday when they meet Southern Mississippi in a neutral-site contest at the DeSoto Civic Center at Southaven, Miss.

Mississippi can go 12-0 for the first time after matching the 11-0 starts of the 1936-37 and 2000-01 teams. The Rebels knocked off then-No. 15 Clemson 85-82 last Saturday in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout.

It's a bit of a surprise for a team that was picked to finish last in the SEC's West Division. The Rebels are one of only two unbeaten teams left in the league along with No. 15 Vanderbilt while traditional powers such as Kentucky and LSU are enduring tough seasons.

Mississippi is the only ranked team in the SEC West.

"It's a long season and we have so much more to do, but I'm happy that our players have been acknowledged for all their hard work," second-year coach Andy Kennedy said of the team's first ranking in six seasons.

Senior center Dwayne Curtis averaged 18.0 points in the Rebels' three wins in Puerto Rico, including a 19-point performance in the title game. Freshman guard Chris Warren had back-to-back 19-point outings to close the tournament and was named the event's MVP.

"My teammates find me, and I find them," said Warren, who averages 15.1 points and a team-high 5.7 assists.

Mississippi notched its first victory over a ranked team this season. The Rebels felt they had something to prove going into the tournament since seven of their first eight games were at home, and mostly against unheralded opponents.

"Clemson is a very good team, and this is a win we'll be able to hang our hat on deep into the year if we continue to improve because they're going to beat a lot of people," Kennedy said.

This contest is the opener of a three-game series between the Rebels and Southern Mississippi (8-4), and is being played in Southaven - a suburb of Memphis, Tenn. The teams will meet next season in Jackson and the season after that in Biloxi.

"I have great respect for the job Larry (Southern Miss coach Larry Eustachy) is doing, and I believe these three games will give our teams the challenges they need as they prepare for our conference schedules," said Kennedy when the series was announced in October.

The state rivals haven't met since Ole Miss won 113-107 in double overtime on Dec. 19, 1995. The Rebels have won 15 of 19 meetings against the Golden Eagles.

Southern Miss had a five-game winning streak snapped with a 63-57 loss to McNeese State on Sunday. Jeremy Wise scored 25 points to lead the Golden Eagles, who shot a season-low 30.6 percent.

Eustachy's club is facing its second SEC opponent of the season after falling 79-77 at Alabama on Nov. 23. Wise scored a career-high 33 points in that loss.