Ole Miss Preview
December 22, 2009 02:06 PM | General
December 22, 2009
GAME NOTES
| Nationally Ranked
Non-Conference Opponents to Play at the WVU Coliseum (Since 1996)
12/23/09 vs. No. 15 Mississippi |
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A match up of nationally ranked teams will battle it out at the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday night when sixth-rated West Virginia takes on No. 15 Mississippi in a game to be televised nationally on ESPN2 (Eric Collins and Hubert Davis).
It is just the fourth time since West Virginia joined the Big East in 1996 that the Mountaineers have played a nationally ranked non-conference opponent in Morgantown.
Ole Miss brings a six-game winning streak and the nation’s sixth-ranked scoring offense to Morgantown for a 7:30 p.m. tilt.
Coach Andy Kennedy, a Bob Huggins protégé, has an impressive 48-11 record at Ole Miss against non-conference competition (71-40 overall). One of those losses was a tight, 80-78 decision to West Virginia last year when free throws by Alex Ruoff and Josh Sowards provided the difference.
The Rebels couldn’t close out the game when, leading by one, Chris Warren missed the front end of a one-and-one with 25 seconds remaining.
Warren, now a junior, had 20 points for Ole Miss. Guard Terrico White (13) and forward Murphy Holloway (11) also scored double figures.
Da’Sean Butler scored 22 for the Mountaineers.
Mississippi (10-1) has lost only once this year to Villanova in the championship game of the O’Reilly Auto parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
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| Da'Sean Butler leads West Virginia in scoring with an average of 16.9 points per game.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
In their last four games the Rebels have scored at least 81 points, including a season-high 108 points in a 44-point victory over Centenary last Saturday. Ole Miss was 11 of 22 from 3-point distance and shot a sizzling 67.7 percent from the floor for the game. Four different players reached double figures and eight different players scored at least 8 points.
Kennedy uses a three-guard lineup with Warren (18.3 ppg.), White (16.6) and Zach Graham (10.2) in the back court.
Up front, Ole Miss is expected to start 6-foot-8 Reginald Buckner (4.9) and 6-foot-7 Murphy Holloway (11.8). Six-nine DeAundre Cranston gives Ole Miss additional size off the bench.
West Virginia, meanwhile, is coming off a closer-than-expected 80-78 win at Cleveland State last Saturday. The Mountaineers led by 17 points in both halves before the Vikings used full-court pressure to get back into the game.
West Virginia committed 11 of its season-high 17 turnovers in the second half to fuel Cleveland State’s comeback. The Vikings tied the game with 13.7 seconds left before Butler’s driving lay up with 1.2 seconds left won it for the Mountaineers.
Mississippi is the first ranked non-conference opponent to play in Morgantown since the Mountaineers played host to a No. 2-ranked UCLA on Feb. 10, 2007. West Virginia won that game 70-65.
Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. The game has been designated as a “Gold Rush” with fans being encouraged to wear gold Wednesday night.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
Briefly:
Since 2005, West Virginia is 57-8 in games played at the Coliseum.
West Virginia's 8-0 start is its eighth since 1946. The others happened in 2005 (10-0), 1983 (8-0), 1960 (10-0), 1958 (14-0), 1957 (8-0), 1947 (12-0), 1946 (13-0).
