Right: Now the most hated man in the state of Michigan, Justin Boren.
Lon Horwedel/Ann Arbor News

Well, it’s official. Sophomore offensive lineman Justin Boren is a Buckeye.

Boren, who hails from Pickerington, Ohio, a suburb southeast of Columbus and attended North High School, left the Michigan football team in March, citing an erosion of “family values” since Rich Rodriguez replaced Lloyd Carr as head coach after last season.

Boren started every game last year at either left guard or center for the Wolverines. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he will have to sit out the 2008 season. Due to Big Ten transfer rules by going from one conference institution to another, he will have to pay his own way and will never be on scholarship at Ohio State.

Boren said this to Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch:

It’s exciting to be coming back home to central Ohio. I am looking forward to the chance to help the Buckeyes continue their excellence in any way I can.”

Translation: “I’m tired of getting my brains beat in by the Buckeyes every November, and now I want to play for the winning team.

Other football news:

Ohio State will host Navy next season, and will make a return trip to take on the Midshipmen in the Annapolis/Baltimore area for the 2014 campaign.

Yawn.

Other basketball news:

Freshman forward Eric Wallace is leaving the team and plans on transferring after playing in 15 of Ohio State’s 37 games this past season, and averaged 1.8 points in 4.8 minutes of action.

Wallace, who’s a tremendous athlete, just didn’t seem to possess the fundamentals or the basketball IQ that others had in his class, but would of eventually received more playing time as he developed.

This will free a scholarship for junior college transfer Nicola Kecman, a 6-foot-9 native of Belgrade, Serbia, who is considering the Buckeyes.

Kecman averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for Eastern Arizona College, who finished with a 30-6 record.

According to Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Kecman made an official visit to Kentucky, this past weekend. He is scheduled to make an official visit to Ohio State this weekend, and is also considering Mississippi.

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Right: Koufos is entering the NBA draft, but will not hire an agent. AP Photo/Terry Gilliam

The fine publication in northeastern Ohio known as the Canton Repository is reporting that 7-foot freshman center Kosta Koufos is declaring for June’s NBA Draft.

Huh?

Koufos averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Buckeyes this past season while playing some really good basketball down the stretch, particularly in the National Invitational Tournament, as he earned the Most Outstanding Player award against lesser talent and smaller centers.

But how did Koufos fare against the big boys?

Against 6-foot-9 Tyler Hansbrough and the North Carolina Tar Heels, Koufos scored a mere four points with three rebounds in a 66-55 loss.

Going toe-to-toe with Texas A&M’s 7-foot center DeAndre Jordan, Koufos had 10 points and five rebounds as the Buckeyes lost big to the Aggies, 70-47.

In two games playing against 6-foot-11 center Shaun Pruitt from Illinois, Koufos averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Koufos, who graduated from Canton’s GlenOak High School, is quoting as saying this Canton Rep’s Mike Popovich:

I am declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft but not hiring an agent and maintaining my college eligibility.”

Whew! That’s good. Koufos better take some time to think this through because RealGM.com has him going to the Dallas Mavericks with the 24th overall pick, and is one of the few that actually puts an abbreviated scouting report along with their mock draft, and here’s what they said about Koufos:

He shoots the ball from anywhere with ease, confidence and very good form, especially for such a young 7-footer. Koufos sees the court well but he can’t physically complete some of the passes he recognizes, but that will progress in time. He takes too long to collect himself to finish a dunk, which puts the ball in danger of being blocked. He is a decent athlete and his quick to ball on offensive rebounds, but his lateral movements are unquestionably on the slow side. He easily could be a lottery pick in 2009, but clearly needs more fine-tuning.”

That last sentence says it all, and I’m left wondering why anyone would leave early when you are not even a lottery pick?

Last year, head coach Thad Matta had three freshman who left early, center Greg Oden, point guard Mike Conley Jr., and shooting guard Daequan Cook. Oden and Conley were lottery picks as the center was the No. 1 overall selection by the Portland Trail Blazers, and Conley was the fourth pick by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Cook, though, was a different story. He was picked 21st and eventually landed with the Miami Heat.

Cook played in 59 games for the Heat this past season, starting in 19 of those, and averaged 8.8 points in 24.5 minutes per game. But he was also was sent down by Miami head coach Pat Riley to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League.

Cook appeared in three games (all starts) for the Energy, averaging 19.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.33 steals in 39.7 minutes of action.

By the way, Miami finished the season with a record of 15-67.

So what does it mean when the NBA’s worst team sends you down to the D-League? Clearly, Cook would of benefited from staying at least one more year at Ohio State.

I think staying at least one more year and working on his interior game while getting stronger should obviously benefit Koufos and improve his draft stock.

Here’s what other 2008 NBA mock drafts have Koufos projected as of press time. Please note, a good number of these mock drafts are dominated by college players in the U.S., as many of the international players have yet to be evaluated. As draft day nears, those names will be added, and could alter where Koufos is projected to be picked:

MyNBADraft.com has Koufos as the 28th overall selection by the Memphis Grizzlies. They don’t list second round picks.

NBADraft.net does not list Koufos as of yet, but does have Othello Hunter as a second round (54th overall) pick to the Houston Rockets.

DraftExpress.com has Koufos going to the Denver Nuggets as the 20th overall pick.

CollegeHoops.net does not list Koufos in the first or second rounds as of press time, but does ranked him as just a two-star pro prospect.

Tags: Buckeye Basketball by Matt Barker
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Right: Wide receiver Brian Hartline had a productive day in the rain, catching six passes for 82 yards. Getty Images/Matt Sullivan

More than 76,000 fans were fed a steady diet of light rain showers as the Scarlet squad topped the Gray team, 20-7, in this year’s Spring Game at Ohio Stadium.

Nothing really statistically jumps out at you when looking them over. The leading rusher was Dan “Boom” Herron, who gained 30 yards on 10 carries.

Neither of the three quarterbacks played particularly well, though incoming freshman Terrelle Pryor was watching from the stands in street clothes and a red rain poncho.

Senior quarterback Todd Boeckman was 12-of-18 passing for 145 yards, but threw two interceptions. Granted, one was picked off by free safety Kurt Coleman, who made a tremendous play on the ball, but the other by weakside linebacker Ross Homan was a poorly-thrown pass.

Boeckman scored the game’s first points when he dove in on a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line with 1:37 left in the first quarter to put the Scarlet squad ahead 7-0.

Two plays earlier, Boeckman hit a diving Brian Hartline on a 48-yard pass play that set-up the TD.

Probably the quarterback who had the best performance out of the three was redshirt freshman walk-on Joe Bauserman, who was 7-of-14 for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Following Homan’s interception, the Gray team took over at their own 19 yard line. Five plays later, Bauserman connected with sophomore wide receiver Taurian Washington on a 51-yard pitch and catch that tied the game at 7-all with 2:49 remaining in the second quarter.

Kicker Aaron Pettrey put the Scarlet squad ahead for good when he put the pigskin through the uprights on a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, giving his team a 10-7 lead.

The Scarlet squad tacked on another score when Boom Herron banged through the “one hole” on a 1-yard touchdown run with 23 ticks left in the third quarter.

That touchdown was set-up by a 30-yard pass play from Henton to junior wide receiver Ray Small three snaps earlier.

Scarlet’s Mike Mattimoe added a 24-yard field goal with 41 seconds remaining to close out the scoring.

Henton was 6-of-12 for 73 yards playing for both teams, plus he had six yards rushing on four attempts and was sacked three times.

Neither team ran the ball particularly well, either, though Scarlet’s sophomore running back K.C. Christian and Gray’s junior running back Maurice Williams had the best averages by far. Christian had two carries for 23 yards (11.5 ypa), and Williams toted the rock three times for 20 yards (6.7 ypa).

Those who had four or more receptions were Hartline, Small (5 rec., 74 yards), and Wasington 4 rec., 71 yards).

Defensively, junior cornerback Andre Amos led both teams with eight total tackles for the Scarlet, while sophomore defensive tackle Dexter Larimore topped both squads with two sacks for the Gray.

Those who did not play due to injury were: senior P Tyson Gentry, senior wide receiver Brian Robiskie, senior OG Steve Rehring, junior running back Chris Wells, sophomore WR Garrett Hummel, sophomore LB Kyle Libby, sophomore RB Aram Olson, junior WR Dan Potakar, freshman OL Mike Adams, freshman OL Mike Brewster, redshirt freshman DB Donnie Evege, sophomore OL Josh Kerr, senior OL Ben Person, junior DL Chris Rietschlin, and junior DE Robert Rose.

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Right: Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel gathers up his troops during a spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility, last Friday. AP Photo/Terry Gilliam

After a relaxing two-week vacation following the conclusion of the men’s basketball season, let’s recap what has transpired this spring for the Ohio State football squad.

The Buckeyes will conclude spring football practice with the annual Scarlet & Gray football game tomorrow at Ohio Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, and it will be televised via live web stream at BigTenNetwork.com, and it will be rebroadcasted in its’ entirety on BTN at 11 p.m. ET on Saturday, and again on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Scarlet and Gray game will consist of four, 11 minute quarters with the new clock rules in effect, including the just implemented 40-second play clock.

At the quarterback senior Todd Boeckman will play the first half for the Scarlet team and redshirt sophomore Antonio Henton to play the third and fourth quarters. Redshirt freshmen Joe Bauserman will play the third and fourth quarters for Gray.

Other notables of the Scarlet team: senior OT Alex Boone, junior C Jim Cordle, senior TE Rory Nicol, junior WR Brian Hartline, junior WR Ray Small, redshirt freshman RB Boom Herron, sophomore DE Cameron Heyward, sophomore DT Dexter Larimore, senior MLB James Laurinaitis, senior SLB Curtis Terry, junior FS Anderson Russell, and sophomore CB Chimdi Chekwa.

On the Gray squad: sophomore OT Bryant Browning, junior TE Jake Ballard, senior RB Maurice Wells, sophomore RB Brandon Saine, senior WR Brian Robiskie, sophomore WR Dane Sanzenbacher, sophomore WR Taurian Washington, junior DT Todd Denlinger, junior DE Lawrence Wilson, senior WLB Marcus Freeman, junior SS Kurt Coleman, senior CB Malcolm Jenkins, junior CB Donald Washington, senior K Ryan Pretorius, and junior K Aaron Pettrey.

Those who will not play due to injury are: senior P Tyson Gentry, senior wide receiver Brian Robiskie, senior OG Steve Rehring, junior running back Chris Wells, sophomore WR Garrett Hummel, sophomore LB Kyle Libby, sophomore RB Aram Olson, junior WR Dan Potakar, freshman OL Mike Adams, freshman OL Mike Brewster, redshirt freshman DB Donnie Evege, sophomore OL Josh Kerr, senior OL Ben Person, junior DL Chris Rietschlin, and junior DE Robert Rose.

Honorary captains for the Scarlet and Gray teams will be former OSU standouts Mike Tomczak and Cris Carter. The Buckeyes will also be wearing helmet decals with the initials “DS” in memory of Dianna Sharp, the school crossing guard who was killed outside a Hilliard elementary school.

Last Saturday, the offense defeated the defense 55-44 in the jersey scrimmage, using a modified scoring system that’’s conventional and unconventional as points are awarded for touchdowns, PATs and field goals, but the offense gets a point for achieving a first down as well. The defense is awarded points for a three-and-out, tackle for loss and for forcing a turnover, plus scoring touchdowns and safeties.

Boeckman threw two touchdown passes to Hartline, and Henton tossed another to sophomore walk-on wide receiver Ricky Crawford from Olentangy High School.

One other touchdown was tallied when Saine ran around the left end and scored on a 22-yard burst.

Head coach Jim Tressel on the jersey scrimmage:

We got about 125 plays in; we were looking to get in between 120 and 135 so it worked out well. I am anxious to see the film to look at how some guys are coming along. There are a few obvious things; Brandon Saine is getting more comfortable with his position and is going to be a good receiver for us as well. Boom Herron is also coming along.”

Other notes:
Ohio State will play at least two games at night, a road game vs. Wisconsin, and a home game vs. Penn State. Both will kickoff at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Tags: Buckeye Football by Matt Barker
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Right: Seniors Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter, and Matt Terwilliger pose with the NIT trophy.
AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

The last time Ohio State played in Madison Square Garden for a title, the outcome was not nearly as favorable as it was last night.

Back on November 23, the Buckeyes advanced to the finals of the NIT Season Tip-off, originally known as the Preseason NIT, losing to then 15th-ranked Texas A&M by a score of 70-47.

A lot has changed for this young OSU team since then.

Against the Aggies, Ohio State couldn’t throw a rock into the Hudson River if they were standing on a pier, shooting just 24.1 percent (14-for-58) from the field, and were outrebounded 46-30.

In that game, the Buckeyes only trailed 31-26 at halftime before getting blown out of the Garden in the second stanza.

Now fast forward more than four months later, where Ohio State found itself once again playing at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” in the heart of New York City against Massachusetts.

UMass jumped out to an early 10-2 lead two-and-a-half minutes into the game as the Minutemen used an all-out, run-and-gun style of offensive basketball to their advantage.

Ohio State, though, quickly got back into the game, fueled on three, 3-pointers, two of which came from senior Matt Terwilliger.

The lead changed hands five different times with one tie until UMass’ Ricky Harris connected on consecutive triples on two trips down the court to put the Minutemen ahead 23-19 with 11:38 remaining in the opening period.

UMass took their largest lead of the game with 3:51 left in the first half when Gary Forbes knocked down a trey, and the Minutemen headed in the locker room at intermission with a 41-36 cushion.

Facing the same deficit of five points at halftime as they did against Texas A&M more than four months ago, the Buckeyes came out with something to prove, and sent a message to the NCAA selection committee that they made a mistake by not inviting them to the “Big Dance.”

Ohio State started the second half just like UMass did to begin the game only one better, by going on a 11-2 run capped off on a three-pointer from the most unlikeliest of all Buckeye long-range shooters, Othello Hunter, which gave OSU a 47-43 lead with 17:22 to go.

The Buckeyes never trailed the rest of the way.

Ohio State took their largest lead of the game when Kosta Koufos converted a pair of free throws with 9:26 left to put the Buckeyes ahead 64-55.

UMass, who won their last three NIT Tournament games by rallying from double-digit deficits, made one last run at OSU as Harris netted one of his seven, 3-pointers of the contest that tied the game at 68-all with 6:21 to play.

But Ohio State responded as Koufos drained a three from the right baseline, and on OSU’s next trip down, he got his own rebound after a missed trey, then with authority, rattled home a two-hand jam that gave the Buckeyes a 73-70 advantage with 5:30 remaining.

Ohio State’s record was 21-0 when they’re leading with five minutes left, and as the clock ticked down past that mark, the Buckeyes were ahead.

Now that record on the season stands at 22-0 after Jamar Butler threw a touchdown pass nearly the length of the court to Hunter, who threw down monster dunk to put Ohio State up 79-75 with 3:10 to go.

UMass could not get any closer the rest of the way.

Koufos, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half and added nine rebounds.

Turner added 20 points on 5 of 6 shooting from the field, which included making all three of the shots he attempted from beyond the arc.

Playing in their final game as seniors, Butler, who was named to the all-tournament team, scored 19 points and dished out seven assists, while Hunter chipped in 17 points and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.

Though the Buckeyes committed 19 turnovers, they did shoot the ball very well, going 32-for-58 (55.2%) from the field, and were 10 of 19 from three-point land.

Defensively, Ohio State held UMass to 36.8 percent (32-for-87) shooting from the floor.

Up next, I will recap the 2007-08 basketball season, as well as look ahead as to what the 08-09 campaign may hold for the Buckeyes.

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Right: Kosta Koufos puts a nice spin move on Mississippi’s Dwayne Curtis in the second half for a deuce. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

For the second straight year, Ohio State finds themselves playing in April for a tournament title, though this season’s postseason run and tonight’s outcome won’t result in a national championship if the Buckeyes prevail.

This evening at Madison Square Garden in New York, Ohio State takes on Massachusetts (25-10) with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

Both teams have taken different paths to reach the MasterCard National Invitational Tournament finals.

The Buckeyes have won each by at least double-digits, defeating UNC-Asheville 84-66, took down California 73-56, and topped in-state rival Dayton 74-63.

On Tuesday night, four Buckeyes scored in double figures as Ohio State blew out Mississippi, 81-69.

Senior Jamar Butler and freshman Evan Turner each scored 17 points, while two more first-year players, David Lighty and Kosta Koufos added 16 points each for the Buckeyes.

The game was tied at 8-all before Ohio State used a 14-0 run to separate themselves from Ole Miss after Turner scored on a layup with 11:36 left in the first half to put the Buckeyes ahead 22-8.

Ohio State led 44-20 at intermission by forcing 12 Mississippi turnovers using a full-court press while holding the Rebels to just 28.9 percent (8-for-28) shooting from the field against the Buckeyes’ stout 3-2 zone defense.

But Ole Miss settled down in the second half and finally figured out how to attack OSU’s press. It also seemed that the Buckeyes lost some of their intensity in the final 20 minutes.

After Ohio State claimed their biggest lead of the game at 47-20 just 49 seconds into the second stanza, the Rebels outscored the Buckeyes 48-28 over a span of the next 17-plus minutes.

Mississippi’s freshman point guard Chris Warren hit three treys on consecutive possessions to get the Rebels within seven at 75-68 with 1:44 remaining.

But then it appeared that Ole Miss ran out of steam.

Butler, Ohio State’s all-Big Ten guard, scored on a driving layup to help put the game away, and Koufos and Lighty each added dunks in the final minute.

Against UMass, Ohio State can ill-afford a second half letdown.

In the other semifinal game Tuesday night, the Minutemen rallied from a 10-plus point deficit for the third NIT postseason game in a row to defeat the defending NCAA national champ Florida, 78-66.

UMass has shown great resiliency over those last three NIT games, trailing by at least 10 in each game before coming back to win. The Minutemen were down by 12 to Akron in the NIT Second Round with 8:30 left, but won the game by five (68-63). UMass trailed Syracuse by 22 with 14:30 left and won by four (81-77). The Minutemen were down 10 to Florida late in the first half.

UMass is led by 6-foot-7 swingman Gary Forbes, who top the Minutemen averaging 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Ricky Harris, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard is second on the UMass roster in scoring pouring in, on average, 18 points per contest.

The Minutemen’s top three-point shooter is 6-foot-7 senior forward Etienne Brower (43.2%)

Ohio State (23-13) vs. Massachusetts (25-10)
Date: Thursday, April 3
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Place: Madison Square Garden - capacity 19,736
TV: ESPN with Ron Franklin, former Ohio State assistant Fran Fraschilla, Bill Raftery, and Allen Hopkins.
Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes.
Series History: Ohio State is 2-0 against UMass.
On Dec. 10, 2000, center Ken Johnson scored 16 points with seven rebounds and nine blocked shots to lead the Buckeyes to a 54-51 win over the Minutemen at Value City Arena.
On Jan. 9, 2002, Ohio State made a return trip as the Buckeyes traveled to Amherst to take on the Minutemen. Boban Savovic scored 19 points as OSU won 70-62 at the Mullins Center.
Note: Ohio State’s Sports Information Department does not acknowledge that the Buckeyes have ever played UMass, since Savovic was deemed an ineligible player and all records were stricken during the seasons he played.

UMass’ Starting Five:
F 3 Gary Forbes - 6-7, 220, Sr. (19.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.0 apg)
F 22 Etienne Brower - 6-7, 215, Sr. (12.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 apg)
C 20 Dante Milligan - 6-9, 215, Sr. (8.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.7 apg)
G 5 Ricky Harris - 6-2, 175, So. (18.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G 14 Chris Lowe - 6-0, 160, Jr. (11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.2 apg)

OSU’s Starting Five:
F 31 Kosta Koufos - 7-0, 265, Fr. (14.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.5 apg)
F 45 Othello Hunter - 6-8, 225, Sr. (9.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.8 apg)
C 21 Evan Turner - 6-6, 200, Fr. (8.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.6 apg)
G 23 David Lighty - 6-5, 215, So. (9.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.4 apg)
G 14 Jamar Butler - 6-1, 185, Sr. (14.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.9 apg)

Above Right: UMass’ top scorer and rebounder, Gary Forbes. UMass Photo

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Above: The four coaches that still have their teams playing in the NIT, are from left to right, Ohio State’s Thad Matta, Mississippi’s Andy Kennedy, Massachusetts’ Travis Ford, and Florida’s Billy Donovan. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

Ohio State (22-13) vs. Mississippi (24-10)
Date: Tuesday, April 1
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Place: Madison Square Garden - capacity 19,736
TV: ESPN2 with Ron Franklin former Ohio State assistant Fran Fraschilla, Bill Raftery, and Allen Hopkins.
Radio: WBNS-AM 1460 and WBNS-FM 97.1 in Columbus and 58 more stations across Buckeyeland with Paul Keels and Ron Stokes.
Series History: Ohio State has never played Mississippi until tonight.

Ole Miss’ Starting Five:
C 44 Dwayne Curtis - 6-8, 262, Sr. (15.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F 50 Kenny Williams - 6-8, 240, Sr. (8.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)
G 14 Eniel Polynice - 6-5, 216, So. (10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.0 apg)
G 33 David Huertas - 6-5, 197, So. (10.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg)
G 12 Chris Warren - 5-10, 170, Fr. (15.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.5 apg)

OSU’s Starting Five:
F 31 Kosta Koufos - 7-0, 265, Fr. (14.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.5 apg)
F 45 Othello Hunter - 6-8, 225, Sr. (9.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.8 apg)
C 21 Evan Turner - 6-6, 200, Fr. (7.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.5 apg)
G 23 David Lighty - 6-5, 215, So. (8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)
G 14 Jamar Butler - 6-1, 185, Sr. (14.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 6.0 apg)

Right: Mississippi’s point guard and leading scorer, Chris Warren (12).
Orlando Sentinel Photo

Mississippi comes into tonight’s semifinal match-up against Ohio State with a record of 24-10 after Ole Miss upset Virginia Tech, 81-72 last Wednesday, as the Rebels shot 49 percent in the game, paced by freshman point guard Chris Warren’s 22 points.

Warren leads the Rebels in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game, and scored 22 against the Hokies. Warren is averaging 18.7 points in the NIT through three games.

Ole Miss advanced with an 83-68 victory over UC-Santa Barbara, then took down Nebraska, 85-75, with both games played in Oxford, Miss, before Rebels traveled to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies.

Scouting Report (from Yahoo! Sports): Sophomore G David Huertas has given the Rebels a lift with 60 points in his last three games, which has opened up the inside for C Dwayne Curtis. Curtis and Kenny Williams have combined for 63 rebounds in the last three games. The guy who makes the Rebels go, however, is freshman PG Chris Warren. He can shoot the three, though he is streaky, and is a good assist man. The bench was tested when G Eniel Polynice, the team’s top defender, couldn’t play against UC-Santa Barbara because of a sore knee. Little-used freshman Rodney Jones gave the Rebels 22 minutes of solid play, especially on the defensive end.

Keys to the Game: Kosta Koufos inside against shorter, yet more physical post players for Mississippi. He needs to play well and score in the paint.

We know that Jamar Butler will have a good game, but outside of him and Koufos, someone needs to step up. Evan Turner and Jon Diebler did that in the second half against Dayton, and it will need to happen again.

Rebound and attack the basket, especially when the three-point shots aren’t falling.

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