Ole Miss v. OSU Matchup Information

Ole Miss
AKA: The University of Mississippi
Nickname: Rebels
Location: Oxford, MS

The Ohio State University
Nickname: Buckeyes
Location: Columbus, OH

Date: 9:00PM EST 04/01/2008
Location: Madison Square Gardens, New York, NY
TV: ESPN2
Tickets: TicketMaster

Series: Ohio State Leads 1-0

Common Opponents:

Florida :
Ole Miss 89 Florida 87
Ohio State 62 Florida 49

Tennessee:
Ole Miss 83 Tennessee 85
Ohio State 69 Tennessee 74

Presbyterian College
Ole Miss 66 PC 55
Ohio State 87 PC 43

Top 3 Victories

Ole Miss:
Clemson
Vandy
Virginia Tech

Ohio State:
Michigan State
Florida
Syracuse

Ole Miss v. Ohio St.

Hotty Toddy Rebels! Can't wait to play the Buckeyes. I've been waiting to play the Buckeyes in something since I moved to Ohio 9 years ago!
I'll post any interesting news articles and what my OSU friends up here are saying about the game. Stay Tuned...

NIT: Round 1: Ole Miss v. UC Santa Barbara

Tad Smith Coliseum will be rocking tonight as the Gauchos travel all the way from California to Mississippi to play the Rebels.
UC Santa Barbara and Ole Miss have never met. Also, neither team has played a common foe this year.

Here is some footage of the UC Santa Barbara v. UNLV from November:

Hotty Toddy Blog back after month recess...

Thanks for everyone's patience during the Hotty Toddy Blog blackout. I am glad to say that HTB is back.

Some thought....

I am a bit disappointed with the men's basketball team. After a brilliant start, we have gotten into a terrible slump. Yet, we can still finish strong. My hope is still that we will still make the Big Dance, despite looking unlikely at this time. Bottom line, we are young. Despite the slump, I am extremely happy with the direction the program is heading.

Baseball....

#2 in the country. What is there to be disappointed in?

Latest RPI's and Rankings

Ken Pom: #10
Real Time: #10
Warren Nolan: #11
AP: #24
ESPN: #22
CBS: #25
DeSimone: #22

The numbers after the AU loss

Here are the rankings and RPI's for this week.

RPI:

KenPom: #15
Ratings.com: #15
Real Time: #15
RPI forecast: #15
Sagarin: #18
Warren Nolan: #16

Rankings:
AP: #17
ESPN: #15
CBS: #16
DeSimone: #17
Fox: #18
Massey:#20

2-1: Ole Miss holds off Florida

As the second season of basketball moves into full swing, the Rebels are off to a 2-1 start in SEC play. The Rebels regrouped after a slow start to lead the Gators at half by 9. At one point the Rebs were up by 15 but Florida wouldn't go away. Poor foul shooting by Ole Miss gave Florida hope but the Rebels walked off the court with a 2 point victory over the 2x defending National Champs.

Updated RPI's:

Ken Pom: 15
Real Time: 15
RPI Forecast: 12
Sagarin: 12
Warren Nolan: 14

Rebels move into ESPN's Power 16 at #14.

After 1-1, Where We Stand

After going 1-1 in our first week of SEC play, where do we stand. Here are the latest rankings along with our two opponents for this week (Florida & Auburn):

RPI's:

Ken Pom: #20 -----(Florida #76 Auburn #163)
Ratings.com: #19-----(Florida#76 Auburn#164)
Real Time: #20----(Florida#76 Auburn#161)
RPI Forecast: #12---(Florida#38 Auburn N/A)
Sagarin #12----(Florida#36 Auburn#161)
Warren Nolan#20 ----(Florida#85 Auburn#168)

Top 25:

AP: #18
CBS: #16
DeSimone:#16
ESPN: #15


Brackets:

Basketball Predictions: #4
Beating the Experts: #5
Bracket Express: #4
Bracket Project: #4
Bracetography: #6
Bracketology 101: #5
Breaking Down the Bracket: #5
Bryce's Bracket: #2

Please check back later this afternoon for the AP & ESPN polls.

Ole Miss is legit- We know

The rest of the sports world (minus the 13 teams we've beaten) have finally warmed up to Ole Miss. It wasn't a 14th win that woke the sports nation up, it was a 2 point loss in Knoxville. It really shouldn't be a secret to everyone at this point. Our schedule hasn't been the hardest but we've played some stiff competition. (Clemson, Winthrop, New Mexico...) But, since we are Ole Miss, it talks folks time.

Here are some of the reactions so far:

AOL: Ole Miss proves it is legit vs. Tennessee

"For my money, you just saw the two best teams in the SEC, hands down. I'll go
so far as to say that Ole Miss could be a Sweet 16 team this year. Not bad for a
team which hasn't been to the Big Dance since 2002."

ESPN: Ole Miss' numbers say the Rebels are no fluke.

"The Tennessee game was an introduction to that increased quality, and the
Rebels held up extremely well. They probably won't play in a tougher environment
all season. That's relevant, because all the Rebels need (assuming a win over
2-20 Presbyterian in their final nonconference game) is a repeat of last
season's 8-8 league mark and one win in the SEC tournament to get to 23-9, which
almost certainly would land them in the NCAA Tournament. "

ESPN: Tyler Smith keys the Vols' win over a scrappy Ole Miss team

"Any questions about Mississippi being for real went out the window Wednesday
night after the Rebels stared down Tennessee and took the Vols' best shot in a
sold-out, ear-splitting Thompson-Boling Arena. "

Rivals: Tennessee edges Mississippi in final seconds

"The surprising Rebels (13-1, 0-1), picked to finish last in the SEC West,
were pegged as the weakest of the unbeatens, but they gained plenty of respect
despite the loss. "

Updated RPI's after the game:

Ken Pom: #20
Real Time: #20
Sagarin: #11
Warren Nolan: #20

Kentucky is bad so the SEC is bad, right?

I do a news search several times a day to see what articles mention or discuss Ole Miss. This morning all the talk is about how the SEC is down. (See a list at the bottom of the blog)
The SEC hasn't performed as well in non-conference play as it has in the past but it also hasn't been terrible. It's 121-41 in non-conference play. Yes, the league is 1-9 against ranked opponents. Also, the RPI of the entire conference is low. However, if we replace Vandy with Florida and Ole Miss with Kentucky this year, I doubt the SEC would appear to be "as" down.
Just my opinion, but I am unanimous in it!

Arkansas-Democrat Gazette- SEC Slips, Slides while reloading
Daily Journal- As league play starts, SEC basketball has its skeptics
Cincinnati Enquirer- UK's struggles a drag on the SEC
Gatorsports.com- SEC hoops dealing with rare down season
Shreveport Times- Struggling SEC begins league play
Arkansas Sports- Perception is Reality For SEC Basketball

Latest Rankings

Here are the latest rankings/seeds:

AP: #16
ESPN/USA: #15
Basketball Predictions: # 8 Seed
Beating the Experts: #6 Seed
Bracket Express: #4 Seed
Bracketography: #6 Seed
Bryce's Bracket: #3 Seed
CBS Top 26: #17
College Hoops Net Top 50: #17
Fox Power Rating: #20
Ken Pom RPI: #21
Mike DeSimone's Top 25: #19
Ratings.Com RPI: #21
Real Time RPI: #21
Rivals Ranking the Coaches: Kennedy #21
Sagarin RPI: #9
RPI Forecast: #10
The Bracket Project: #5 Seed
Warren Nolan RPI: #21
ESPN Bracketology: #6 Seed

The list will be updated as more projections/rankings come out.

Games to watch this weekend

Here are games of interest for Rebel fans this weekend:

South Alabama v. Western KY : January 5th 8:05pm- Why? South Alabama has won 7 in a row. Western KY has an RPI of 115 and are 8-4. The Rebels' RPI will improve if S. Alabama keeps winning.

Central Florida v. Sam Houston State: January 5th 3:00pm- Why? Sam Houston St. has an RPI of 29 and Central Florida is 145. A victory at Sam Houston State will significantly boost Central Florida's RPI.

DePaul v. Providence: January 5th 8:00PM(ESPN Classic): Providence has a high RPI of 25. A DePaul victory will help boost the Rebels' RPI.

LeSalle @ Florida State: January 5th 7:00PM- Why? Florida State has an RPI of 35. A LeSalle Victory increases the Rebels' RPI.

Clemson v. North Carolina: January 6th 7:30pm(Fox Sports)- Why? North Carolina is one of the 6 unbeatens left. They also have an RPI of 2. A Clemson Victory will tremendously aid the Rebels.

Kansas v. Boston College: January 5th 12:00PM (ESPN)- Why? Kansas is unbeaten. Let's loose a few more of those.

Washington State v. Washington: January 5th 10:00PM- Why? Washington State is undefeated and playing at their instate rival. Will it be enough to remove them from the unbeaten list? Probably not, but we can hope so.

UMass v. Vandy: January 5th 4:00PM(ESPN 360)- Why? Will Vandy finally fall from the ranks of the unbeatens?

St. Mary's v. Texas: January 5th 6:00PM(Fox Sports/ ESPN Full Court)- Why? No 24 St. Mary has a chance to knock off #14 Texas and help the Rebels move up.

Historic 13-0/ RPI takes a hit

6600+ witnessed history last night at Tad Smith. This year's Rebels have the longest winning streak in Ole Miss basketball history. Congrats to the Rebs.

Even though we won, our RPI ratings did fall due to the poor RPI of Alabama A&M. Here is where we are now:

Rebels return home

The Rebels look to top another record tonight. A win and they have the longest winning streak in Ole Miss history. Alabama A&M is not Clemson nor New Mexico but they will come to Oxford looking to take down #18 Ole Miss. Andy Kennedy will have the Rebs ready to play as usual. Look for the Bulldogs from Huntsville to keep it close for a bit but the Rebels will pull away with ease.

Here are a few more predictions/projections and articles:

Bryce's Bracket: #4 Seed

CBS Bracketology: #6 Seed

Ole Miss named surprise team of the SEC by Fox Sports. Also, Ole Miss v. Tennessee is named the best early game of the season. They also predict Chris Warren will be All-SEC.

Ole Miss named a contender in the SEC West by ESPN.

ESPN breaks down the remaining unbeatens.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the Hotty Toddy Blog. May 2008 be filled with many wins in all sports. May 2008 bring a Sweet 16 or higher appearance, a trip to the College World Series and a winning season in football.

Here are some more basketball rankings out today:

Beating the Experts: #6 Seed
Bracket Project: #5 Seed

Where we Stand: New Year's Eve

Here are the updated rankings, RPI and bracketology so far for this week. The AP & Coaches polls will be out this afternoon. I will update this list throughout the day as information becomes available.


AP/ESPN: #18
Basketball Predictions: #8 seed
Ken Pom: #11 RPI
Real Time RPI: #11
RPI Forecast: #8 (#2 Seed)
Sargain: #10 RPI
Warren: #7 RPI
Mike DeSimone: #20
CBS: #21
College Hoops Net: #19
Bracket Express: #3 Seed
Ratings.com RPI: #11
Real Time Power: #21

History... 12-0

What a fantastic start to this season. Now we can sit back and watch all the accolades fall around us. Second to football in publicity, basketball will bring the national spotlight on Oxford. And, the light has started to shine. Every basketball game I watched talked about the Rebels and how well we are doing this season. Once commentator even suggested that we would be the last undefeated team this year.
Bask it up Rebels, it's about time!

Updated RPI's and rankings up next.

Ole Miss v. Southern

Tonight could be historical for Ole Miss. A win would equal the best start in school history. Ole Miss has never been 12-0 before.
Southern wants to do everything in its power to keep the Rebels from reaching this milestone. They will be ready to play. Anchored by 7 foot center Gjio Baain, the Golden Eagles will not be a push over.
There has been a lot of talk that this might may be a let down game for the Rebels after the defeat of Clemson. I don't see that happening for a couple of reasons. First, this will be a chance for the team to place themselves in Ole Miss history. Second and foremost, Andy Kennedy. Kennedy understands how important this game is and I imagine he will have them ready to play.
There are still plenty of tickets left. To order tickets visit Ticketmaster.

Where we stand.

With basketball's impressing start, it's time to start keeping up with RPI's, Braketology and Rankings. The Hotty Toddy Blog will keep you up-to-date on the latest.

AP: #22
ESPN: #24
CBS: #24
Bracketology 101: #5 seed
Ken Pom RPI: #11
Real Time RPI: #11
Sagarin: #14
Bracket Project: #8 Seed
Warren Nolan RPI: #10
Rivals: Andy Kennedy: #25 coach
Massey Ratings (combined): #15
Bracket Express: #4 Seed
Basketball Predictions: #9 Seed
Bryce's Brackets: #3 Seed
Beating the Experts: #7 Seed
Bracketography: #9 Seed
Breaking Down the Bracket: #8 Seed
The Hoops Report: #23
RPI Forecast: #3 Seed

On the right you will see a newly added link section for College Basketball. This should keep all Rebel Basketball junkies happy for a bit. If you have any other links you like, please let me know and I'll add them.

From 143 to 21

At the start of the season, I posted that College Hoops Nets had us ranked as the #143rd best College team. Yes, they said we would come in dead last in the SEC. Now after the 11-0 start and our defeat of #15 Clemson, they have us at #21. Talk about eating crow! Not only did they rank us at #21 but they named Curtis the Player of the Week.

CBS, the only other poll out right now, has us at #24