Spanning the globe on a Thursday morning …
Ole Miss takes the floor as a ranked team tonight for the first time in three years. The Rebels and Tennessee tip at 6 p.m. in Oxford. Ole Miss is No. 23 in The AP Top 25, No. 24 in the coaches poll.
Knoxville columnist Mike Strange sizes up Tad Smith Coliseum here, comparing it to Madison Square Garden, sort of. Tennessee is 1-3 in the SEC, and Strange says the Vols need to break through on the road.
Vols sophomore Josh Richardson, a 6-6 guard, will likely be the first Tennessee player with the opportunity to chase around Marshall Henderson tonight. Richardson praises Henderson here but also has good things to say about Jarvis Summers. Vols coach Cuonzo Martin has singled out Summers before. Henderson hit the big shots late and ultimately finished with 32 points in Knoxville. But it was Summers getting into the lane and scoring or getting to the free throw line who kept Tennessee at arm’s length early in the second half of Ole Miss’ 92-74 win in the first meeting.
Here’s an Ole Miss update from David Brandt of The AP. …
Following tonight’s game against Tennessee, Ole Miss is back on the road at Auburn, which lost at Vanderbilt Wednesday night, the third-straight loss for the Tigers who opened SEC play with back-to-back wins. …
In recruiting, Robert Nkemdiche’s sweep of the top spot in four recruiting services makes him the consensus No. 1-rated prospect. ESPN’s Edward Aschoff writes that Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze should not be too concerned with Nkemdiche taking a walk around other campuses.
Here is an Atlanta Journal-Constitution update on RB Peyton Barber and DE Carl Lawson.
Non-Ole Miss but interesting nonetheless here. Washington State coach Mike Leach — the Texas Tech coach for a handful of spirited games between the Rebels and Red Raiders — is no longer welcome to recruit at a Dallas area high school after pulling the scholarship offer from one of the high school’s players. …
Elsewhere …
The NCAA announces problems with its investigation of Miami, and the problem is with the NCAA itself. …
Denham Springs, La., native, Mississippian since 1989 with a stop in Meridian before arriving in Tupelo. Daily Journal beat writer since 1996, covering Ole Miss since 2002. Proud Northeast Louisiana alum. Follow me on Twitter @parrishalford and listen to Kory Keys and myself daily with The Ole Miss Beat on Rebel Sports Radio.
