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Rebels battle Buckeyes in quest to reach NIT title game

Tue 1st, April 2008

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The SEC and Big Ten collide in the NIT semifinals, as the Ole Miss Rebels and Ohio State Buckeyes face one another in famed Madison Square Garden this evening. The winner of this game will meet up with the winner of the Florida/UMass matchup for the NIT crown on Thursday.

Ole Miss is not participating in the NCAA Tournament, but the team is still enjoying one of its finest seasons ever. Andy Kennedy's team has defied all the early season prognosticators and has posted a 24-10 overall record, the second-most wins in a season in school history. The Rebels have made the trip to New York this week thanks to tournament victories over UC Santa Barbara (83-68), Nebraska (85-75 in OT) and most recently, Virginia Tech (81-72). This is Ole Miss' first-ever trip to the NIT Final Four and the team has a 10-7 tournament record all-time.

The Buckeyes have a better tournament resume, winning this event in 1986 and reaching the finals in 1988. Thad Matta's club moved to 22-13 overall this year and 16-7 in NIT action with wins over UNC Asheville (84-66), California (73-56) and finally Dayton (74-63).

Ohio State won the only meeting between these two teams, posting a 67-62 decision in 1998. However, OSU does not recognize the victory, as the Buckeyes vacated many of their records from 1998-2002 due to NCAA violations.

It has been steady play at the offensive end of the floor this year that has propelled the Rebels to the majority of their wins. The team is shooting a healthy .460 from the floor and that has led to almost 80 points per game (79.8). There is plenty of scoring depth, as four of the team's five starters are boasting double-digit averages. Freshman Chris Warren has made a huge impact for the Rebels this year. An SEC All-Freshman honoree, Warren is averaging 15.7 ppg, while also leading the team in assists (4.5 apg). He set the single-season three-point record at Ole Miss with his performance at Virginia Tech last week and now has 98 long range bombs to his credit. The team has another All-SEC performer in big man Dwayne Curtis. The 6-8, 262- pound senior is a force in the middle, averaging 15.0 ppg, while just missing a double-double average with 9.5 rpg. A pair of sophomores follow in the scoring column in Eniel Polynice (10.8 ppg) and David Huertas (10.6 ppg). A versatile performer, Polynice adds 5.4 rpg and 4.0 apg to an impressive stat line. It was a 9-0 run in the second half that put Ole Miss over the top in Blacksburg last week. Warren led the way once again with 22 points, including four three-pointers. Both Curtis (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Kenny Williams (10 points, 11 rebounds) recorded double-doubles, while Huertas added 16 points for Ole Miss.

Offensive firepower is not something the Buckeyes have been known for this season, averaging just 67.9 ppg. However, the team has upped that in tournament play by almost 10 points (77.0 ppg). The team is led offensively by senior guard Jamar Butler. The 6-1, 185-pounder is the school's all-time leader in assists (569) and three-pointers made (235). This season he has done a lot of the same, averaging nearly 15 points per game (14.8) thanks in large part to a team-high 98 three-pointers. He is also the team's top distributor, doling out 209 assists thus far. The team has a pair of talented frontcourt players as well in 7-0 freshman Kosta Koufos (14.2 ppg, team-high 6.6 rpg, team-high 62 blocks) and 6-8 senior Othello Hunter (9.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 49 blocks). In the quarterfinal win over instate rival Dayton, Koufos led the way, hitting nine of his 11 shots in the game and pouring in a game-high 21 points. Butler added 12 points and dished out seven assists, while Evan Turner and Jon Diebler chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Buckeyes shot 53.2 percent from the floor in the game, including a sizzling 60 percent in the second half (15-of-25).

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