Will Bogan Hatches from Starchy Cocoon

Get it? He's from Idaho.

Will Bogan, the Gem State* native and subject of much ridicule, grew a sack last night and played some damn ball. Bogan scored 16 points and tallied 7 assists in the overtime road victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Yes, I know, the Razorbacks aren't necessarily "good" at basketball and their "defense" doesn't so much stop the other team from scoring but Bogan wasn't his usual, sheepish self. He needed a game like this to get adjusted to NCAA-level speed and find his comfort zone on the court.

This could either be a flash-in-the-pan type of moment or an indicator of things to come but let's all hope it's the latter. Bogan may end up being pretty solid afterall. Of course, he's no Terrico White but, shit, who is? That kid is too damn good. How Calipari and Pearl let a Memphis product like that elude their grasp confounds me.

Next season, if Bogan, Warren, and T. White can attack the lane, get the ball to the open shots, and/or excel as outside shooters, our backcourt will be one of the conference's best.

Here's to you, Will Bogan. Welcome to big boy basketball.

*You thought it was "The Potato State," didn't you? Bigot.

OT Helps Rebs Get That Dub

How bad is Arkansas?  Bad enough to be unable to beat an Ole Miss team coming off two disappointing losses with only seven scholarship players and three guards in the rotation.  It is tough to say just how good of a job AK did here.  Yeah, I know it was Arkansas.  I know they are 2-13 in the SEC now.  I know I said they were awful in my last post.  But we just beat them in Arkansas, with seven players, and played 45 minutes of basketball.  

The Rebels won because of their fully loaded anemic back court.  Terrico White was phenomenal. Surprise, Surprise.  He went 9-16 from the floor, 6-9 from the charity stripe and 5-8 from three point land.  Ridiculous.  He is with out a doubt SEC freshman of the year and may get some consideration for national freshman of the year.  

Zach Graham did not let the fact that he has one knee hinder him either.  A good friend of mine once called him a "pussy."  While I didn't agree with him at the time, I didn't really refute the point.  However, after watching Showcase continue to be consistent with a bum knee I don't see how you can say that (this was before we knew the knee was as bad as it is).  Graham put up 20 points tonight and hit a big three in overtime which basically ended the game.  Hopefully his offseason knee surgery will not cause him to miss some time next season.

The final piece to the Rebel victory tonight was...  Will Bogan?  Will "Stand up for the champions" Bogan looked like an SEC point guard tonight.  16 points, 7 assists and a block for good measure on the night.  I did not see that coming and neither did you.

This team drives me insane with its inconsistencies and letdowns, but the heart it showed tonight says quite a bit.  It looks like the NIT is a real possibility, if not a certainty now, and I expect them to make a decent run in the SEC Tournament.  Who knows, maybe even host another NIT game during Spring Break that no one is going to attend.  

By the way, Pelphrey may want to hire an assistant who knows a thing or two about defense.  98 points?

Ole Miss vs FAMU Recap

Rebels had a good showing against FAMU, which is to be expected.  Concern over the game was legitimate given the events of the past few days, but the Rebels came out strong and buried the Rattlers 86-63. 

The Rebels also got encouraging performances from some players at positions that they desperately need to see increased production from. 

Will "The Lil Spud" Bogan did not play too bad.  From listening to Kellum in the second half it sounded like he played within himself and the offense ran smoothly.  The last I heard, he only had two turnovers and that’s all you can ask for from a true freshman point guard who is getting significant playing time for the first time in his career.  Maybe he'll become ridiculously ripped and be the next Todd Abernathy.  Because he can only be compared to a former white point guard since this is Ole Miss, right?  I know the nickname is incredibly gay, it is what I was going for with it.

Terrico White had a pretty good game tonight as well with a career high 18 points.  He shot well from the floor, above 50%, and even picked up a few assists.  White knows he has to become the second guy after Huertas now, and tonight he showed some signs of growth.

Post play continues to improve as Malcolm and my boy Murphy Holloway got their ball on.  White had 18 points and tore it up from the field going only missing three shots.  He also collected 9 rebounds and tallied three more blocks.  Granted, it was FAMU but that’s a great stat line for Malcolm and another game that can help give him more confidence.

Murphy Holloway continues to impress me.  In our first game I told a few people that I thought he would be the best of the freshman class and I still think that is a possibility, although Terrico has the most upside.  Holloway was everywhere on the boards this game, seemed like Kellum called his name on every other rebound in the second half as he finished with 16 on the night.  I also really like the way he finishes and is able to create for himself without the ball.  He moves better than any other player on the team without the ball, at least from my viewing. 

Terrance Henry is still very much a project and really needs to get in contact with our old friend Jared Foster.  

 For me, the stat of the game tonight has to be the rebounding margin.  Rebels – 47 FAMU – 22.