Date: Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Arena: Tad Smith Coliseum (8,867)
Television: SEC Network
Satellite Radio: Sirius 93, XM 190
Nothing less than sole possession of 2nd place in the SEC is on the line when Arkansas invades Tad Smith Coliseum tonight. Sole possession of 2nd place is a big deal because....Kentucky. Nobody is catching the undefeated Big Blue in the standings. That's not to say an upset isn't possible somewhere down the line, but it's hard to see the team many think could finish the entire season undefeated losing the regular season SEC title.
And so the battle for 2nd place happens inside Tad Smith Coliseum in front of a sell-out crowd tonight, and it's a big one. Since losing to Ole Miss 96-82 on January 17, the Razorbacks have won 6 of 7.
Ole Miss could tie its school record of seven consecutive SEC wins, plus a season sweep of the Razorbacks would lift the Rebels (No. 37 RPI) even higher in the eyes of the NCAA Selection Committee. The Razorbacks, 24th in the latest AP Poll, have an RPI of 23. Ole Miss is now projected as high as a 9 or 10 seed in the Tournament by the major prognosticators.
In short, a win tonight will turn a lot of heads toward Oxford.
So which Rebel will lead Ole Miss tonight?
Will it be the dynamic Stefan Moody, who hit the heroic game-winning shot against Florida? Or perhaps Jarvis Summers, the senior leader who scored 17 against the Razorbacks in January? LaDarius White has been playing great off the bench.
That's what makes this team so fun to watch and hard to defend. Any of these guys have the potential to lift Ole Miss.
Ole Miss has won 23 of the last 32 meetings against Arkansas and 10 of the last 12. The Rebels hold an 18-5 advantage in Oxford, and have won seven of the last eight and 15 of the last 17 at home. A win would give Ole Miss its 4th season sweep of Arkansas in the last five attempts. Head coach Andy Kennedy is 11-4 all time versus the Razorbacks.