Hilltoppers have all eyes on Oxford in matchup with Ole Miss
It feels like its been forever since the Tops have taken the floor, even though its only been seven days. Well, tonight, they storm the court again as they look for their revenge against the Ole Miss Rebels, who all but stole a victory out of Diddle Arena last year.
Just a quick review – the Hilltoppers were up 29-15 at one point in the middle of the first half, only to have the Rebels come back and take a 39-36 halftime lead. The second half was one of the most exciting halves of basketball I’ve seen since watching the Tops, as WKU and Ole Miss traded baskets until the Rebels *jumped* out to a six point lead in the final 15 seconds, putting the Tops away for good and escaping with a five point victory.
That was then and this is now. The Tops came in with an 8-4 record while the Rebels an 8-3 one. Things are a bit different this time around. The Tops have struggled, yes (c’mon, a 12 point loss to Murray State?), but one thing they’ve always done is play up to the caliber of their opponent, which I expect nothing short of today.
Last year, T.J. Price lead the way for WKU with 26 points and has scored in double figures in five of the seven games so far this year, only cracking 20 points twice – in the season opener to Austin Peay and in the loss to the Racers. Outside of T.J. last year, there really wasn’t much going on for the Tops. George Fant (13) and Trency Jackson (11) were the only other Hilltoppers, so needless to say, they’re gonna need more today.
If not for Marshall Henderson scoring a bulk of his 23 points in the second half, the Tops would have won a year ago. Luckily, Henderson is no longer a Rebel. Unlucky for the Tops, Jarvis Summers is back for Ole Miss, who lead the Rebels in points with 24 points and three assists a year ago.
The Tops haven’t won in a true road game (the only win this year away from Diddle came at Madison Square Garden), and have lost five in a row in another school’s gym. Hopefully the tides turn on multiple fronts today. Let’s do this!