For the last three or four years it seems like every basket Ole Miss shoots has an entire season riding on it. It's good for drama, but bad for the heart. To be an Ole Miss basketball fans takes a special breed. One who is not afraid of angst, heartbreak and worry. If you're afraid to bleed a little then you need not follow Ole Miss basketball.
2015 is no different.
Assuming the Rebels win the games they're favored in, from now through March they'll live in that old familiar place....
It's late January and Ole Miss is sitting right on the NCAA tournament bubble. Death, taxes, etc. http://t.co/vNGGQmipHD
— David Brandt (@davidbrandtAP) January 26, 2015
ESPN's Joe Lunardi currently has Ole Miss in his "First Four Out". LINK
So basically Wednesday night's game against Mississippi State is just another must-win basketball game. If you're an Ole Miss fan, that's no big deal, right? Wrong.
There's far, faaaar more than a bubble on the line when the Rebels face the Bulldogs (8 p.m., SEC Network).
I.J. Ready: "It's like life and death, Ole Miss and Mississippi State."
— Michael Bonner (@MikeBBonner) January 26, 2015
As if living life on the bubble isn't hard enough, Ole Miss also has to worry about staying alive. Of course, the death part is a little tongue in cheek, but just slightly.
"Oh, it's not that big a deal..."
Tell that to Ed Orgeron, Jevan Snead and Sylvestor Croom.
It's a must-win for both teams. Rick Ray won't survive this season if he loses both games to Ole Miss. Book it. But if Ray can split the series or even win both he'll probably get another season.
This is an emotional game for Ray.
Internet finally working, Rick Ray presser underway. Ray says MSU can't let emotions get the best of them vs. Ole Miss.
— Michael Bonner (@MikeBBonner) January 26, 2015
Yeah, good luck with that Rick.
"I think our guys understand for us that it’s the next game and that it’s a home game, and we need to match the intensity that I’m sure Mississippi State will bring to the game," Kennedy said.
We'll see.
Nothing less than life, death, another Rick Ray dance move and NCAA Tournament bubble is riding on it.