This is the third week of “The Student Section Supports”, where CHJ takes a look at one specific matchup that has the potential to either be a surprising upset or an extremely tight game between two evenly matched teams. Generally speaking, this segment will steer clear of the top, marquee matchups due to the fact that there will be plenty of press about those games, anyway. So while many an eye will be fixated on a great G’Town/Memphis tilt, CHJ checks out a contest over the weekend out in—where else—Puero Rico! As of the time of this post both of these teams are sans a loss. Let’s undress ‘em a bit on the other side of the jump.
MISSISSIPPI (9-0): How about dem Rebs? My high school mascot was the Rebels, so I suppose I have a bit of a soft spot for this team. But not really. So how’d they get here? Well, by plane of course! Eeesh…OK…the Rebels have defeated, well, no one really. Defeats of New Mexico and Winthrop might be about all you could pretend to get riled up over. A win over Clemson, then you’ll start getting some kudos.
Could win because…They have nothing to lose. It’s a lower-tier SEC team playing against an ACC school with more on the line. So what if Ole Miss loses? A 9-0 start isn’t something anyone outside of the team really envisioned, so if they pull out this W, all the better. If it’s a loss, it’s not a sign of anything more than “They are who we thought they were!” Two guys named Dwayne Curtis (senior) and Chris Warren (freshman) are the top point producers for the Rebels. CHJ thinks their play will be highly relevant to the outcome of the game for Mississippi.
Could lose because…They are just not as talented of a team as Clemson. But the bigger problem? They are largely undersized in this game. Without breaking it down too much, just know those things: A talent disparity and a size disparity—that’s why Ole Miss could lose.
CLEMSON (10-0): The Tigers sidestep a couple of prelude games en route to the Mississippi matchup on Saturday. What’s hurting Clemson? Well, maybe their conference. Until last night, they shared their undefeated tag with three other teams. But now with Duke losing, it’s just Carolina and, well, lookie here, Miami! After their 17-0 start last season—and their tumultuous fall from grace that caused them to miss The Tournament—the Tigers are hardly flying under the radar this season.
Could win because…Hey, they really are quite the talented and athletic team. Most casual fans know the name of senior forward James Mayes, but the Tigers are able to fuel their fire off of their offensive attack/ability. They are beating teams by an average of 16 points and scoring about 81 a game doing so. Cliff Hammonds and Terrance Oglesby are not to be taken lightly outside of 19′ 9″.
Could lose because…Perhaps the stigma from last season will enter into the team’s collective psyche in this game. Oliver Purnell has done a pretty good job at Clemson, but also consider the fact that this team hasn’t really won a lot of marquee matchups under his tenure. If the Tigers can remember that this is just Mississippi, and they are the better team, than they should be good. Clemson plays best when they play loose.
