Rebel basketball team travels to Auburn

Tip-off versus No. 12 Tigers is today at 4 p.m.

Ben Bryant
dm senior Staff writer

In the aftermath of Ole Miss' 97-53 loss to No. 16 LSU Wednesday, point guard Jason Flanigan had to admit that things couldn't get much worse.

"We didn't do anything right tonight," Flanigan said softly.

But Flanigan and the rest of the Rebels will be called on to do a lot of things right Saturday, when they travel to No. 12 Auburn for a regionally televised SEC West clash.

The Rebels, 15-9 overall and 3-8 in the SEC, are still trying to position themselves for post-season play, though they will probably have to settle for a place in the NIT.

Auburn, on the other hand, is still playing for bigger things with a 20-4 overall record and an 8-3 conference mark.

And Auburn might be playing for revenge against the Rebels, who handed the then-No.4 Plainsmen their first conference loss with a 79-77 overtime decision Jan. 22 at Tad Smith Coliseum.

"They'll remember it, there's no question about that," Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes said of the first meeting with the Tigers.

Auburn is led by a trio consisting of guards Doc Robinson and Scott Pohlman and forward Chris Porter, a pre-season National Player of the Year candidate.

Porter averages 14.4 points per game and pulls down 7.2 rebounds a contest. Sophomore Pohlman, a long-range specialist, scores 10.2 ppg, and point guard Robinson averages 9.2.

The Rebels will again be without freshman center John Gunn, whose fight with mononucleosis has taken him out of the Rebels' last three games.

Tip-off between the Rebels and Tigers is set for 4 p.m. at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. The game will be televised by Fox SportsNet and can be heard locally on 93.7 FM.