2009-2010 OLE MISS REBELS BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Ole Miss had somewhat of an unusual season in 2008-2009. The team played competitively in the SEC, amassing a record of 7-9 within the conference. Traditionally, within the SEC, a record of .500 or just below has translated into a good non-conference record, and an overall win total of 18, 19, or even 20 games. Indeed, a 7-9 SEC record has even put some teams on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament in seasons past. However, thanks to a disappointing non-conference record of 9-6 overall, the team finished the season with a disappointing record of 16-15 overall.

The hopes going into 2009-2010 are that the season can be more about basketball, and less about some of the unfortunate incidents and health issues that afflicted the team last season. The hopes are also that some of the players who stepped into the forefront to accommodate for those negative circumstances last season can continue their development in the year to come.

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It all starts and ends with Chris Warren, the talented scorer who went down last season due to injury, forcing much of the burden elsewhere. Warren returns to the point this season, and hopes to pick up where he left off during his abbreviated sophomore campaign, where he was averaging nearly 20 points per game, and also learning how to become a better distributor of the ball. And while most players his size (5'11") have a ceiling, his seems to be much higher than the norm.

Terrico White, who stepped in when Warren went down last season, is also vital to the 2009-2010 successes of this squad. He showed some real flashes of brilliance last season, and it will be interesting to see how Warren and White perform in the same backcourt this season now that both have established themselves as legitimate scoring threats. Eniel Polynice's return also bodes well for Ole Miss, as Polynice seems to be able to do nearly everything on the court.

The backcourt seems in fine shape, but where there are some questions marks for this team will be on the inside. There are no elite level players on the box as the season enters, and it is inside that some of the incoming players may have the most opportunity to get minutes. Returning big man Murphy Holloway will probably star at either the power forward or center position, however, at 6'7", he is somewhat undersized against the conference elite. Freshman Reginald Buckner is also a candidate to star inside, however, even at 6'9", he would be a small center.

All told, Ole Miss will probably have a season that is a slight uptick from their performance in 2008-2009 over the course of the coming season. A similar SEC record of 7-9 will probably be in the team's future in 2009-2010, however, if the team is able to stay healthy and keep the drama out of the locker room this year, a better record earlier in the season in non-conference play should get the team to 18 or 19 wins and a very good chance at postseason play, with an NCAA Tournament bid not out of the question if things break right.

If you haven't read it yet, check out our Andy Kennedy Biography. You can read more about last year's Ole Miss basketball team at 2008-2009 Ole Miss Basketball Team page. Other Ole Miss Basketball pages include: Ole Miss Basketball History and University of Mississippi - Oxford - Trip.

Learn all about Why Colonel Reb is the Ole Miss Mascot and Why Ole Miss Rebels picked Yale Blue and Harvard Red as its color?

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