Tag: Arkansas

SEC Hoops Preview

by Maddie SchmidtLeave a Comment on SEC Hoops Preview
SEC Hoops Preview

It will be a night of SEC hoops as eight teams meet on the court in just a few hours.

Florida at LSU 7 p.m.

SEC Network

The Florida Gators are coming off an upset win against SEC opponent Auburn. At the time, Auburn was ranked No. 4 in the country. Florida knocked off the Tigers 69-47 in Gainesville Saturday.

The Gators will face the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge tonight. LSU currently leads the SEC hoops world. They are undefeated in conference play and are led by senior guard Skylar Mays. He’s averaging 15.9 points a game.

Georgia at Kentucky 7 p.m.

ESPN

No. 15 ranked Kentucky is seeking its fifth SEC win of the season as they host Georgia tonight. Calipari’s Wildcats are back at home after a road win against the Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday. Kentucky survived the Razorback’s efforts at a second-half comeback.
Georgia is 1-3 in the SEC. They fell to Mississippi State 59-91 Saturday. Anthony Edwards leads the Dawgs averaging 23 points per game.
The Wildcats are an 11.5 point favorite over Georgia.

Texas A&M at Missouri 9 p.m.

ESPNU

Missouri is coming off a close loss against the Alabama Crimson Tide. They fell to the Tide 88-74 in the final minutes. Missouri is currently 9-8 overall and 1-4 in the SEC.
The Aggies are also looking to bounce back after a loss. South Carolina beat Texas A&M 81-67 Saturday. A win against Missouri would certainly help the Aggies, especially if they have any hopes of making a postseason appearance.

Ole Miss at Tennessee 9 p.m.

SEC Network

Ole Miss is seeking its first win in conference play and hoping to break their five-game losing streak. The Rebels will meet the Tennessee Volunteers in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Vols are coming off a win against in-state rival Vanderbilt.

Jordan Bowden, Tennessee guard, broke out of his shooting slump against the Commodores and accounted for 21 points in the Vols 66-45 win Saturday. Bowden is a key player to watch tonight against the Rebels.

 

Story can also be found at wruf.com for ESPN Gainesville. 

 

 

 

Ole Miss Head Coaching Hunt

by Maddie SchmidtLeave a Comment on Ole Miss Head Coaching Hunt

The Ole Miss Rebels finished their season 4-8 after a loss to in-state rival Mississippi State on Thanksgiving. On Sunday, news broke that head coach Matt Luke was fired after spending three seasons with the Rebels achieving a 15-21 overall record.

Luke’s Tenure at Ole Miss

Luke, former assistant coach at Ole Miss, was named interim head coach back in 2017 after Hugh Freeze’s firing. The Rebels went 6-6 in his interim year and decided to retain Luke. In his time at Mississippi, the team never finished better than sixth in the SEC West and did not have any bowl game appearances. According to Ole Miss athletic director, Keith Carter, it was time for a program change.

With Luke’s firing, there are now three head coaching vacancies in the SEC. Both Arkansas and Missouri are also searching for a new head football coach. Ole Miss is moving fast; the search is underway in Oxford.

“We want energy, passion and a track record for success,” said Carter.

Potential Candidates

Some possible candidates to replace Luke are:

  • Mike Norvell– Norvell has led a winning program at Memphis for the past four years. Currently, Memphis is 11-1, and the team is preparing to face Cincinnati in the AAC title game on Saturday. With a win, the Memphis Tigers would be AAC champions for the fourth consecutive year and would likely make it into a New Year’s Six bowl game. Because of Norvell’s offensive background and proximity to Ole Miss, it would not be surprising if Mississippi goes after him. It is only a matter of time before Norvell makes the jump to a Power 5 school.
  • Lane Kiffin– Kiffin, FAU head coach, has experience in the SEC and on championship staffs. In his three seasons at FAU, Kiffin has led the program to two Conference USA East Division titles.
  • Billy Napier– Head coach of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Billy Napier has guided the team to a 10-2 season and a berth in the Sun Belt Conference championship game. Napier has a strong offensive background having served as an assistant on Alabama, Clemson and Arizona State’s staffs.
  • Mike Leach– Leach, Washington State head coach, has gone 55-46 in eight seasons with the program. Prior to Washington State, Leach was the Texas Tech head coach for 10 seasons. He led the Red Raiders to winning records in all 10 seasons. Reports say that Arkansas has already met with Leach to discuss their vacancy.

 

Story can also be found via ESPN Gainesville at wruf.com.