Scouting Mississippi
Ole Miss has a blend of returning players and some newcomers in getting off to a 5-0 start.
Putting the puzzle together is controversial but successful coach Chris Beard, who was fired at Texas on Jan. 5, 2023, following an incident with his fiance. Beard was arrested on a third-degree felony charge of assault against a family member for strangulation. With his fiance asking not to prosecute the charges were dropped Feb. 15.
Ole Miss hired Beard shortly afterwards March 13, and he began reshaping the roster. Mississippi hosts NC State at 9 p.m. on ESPN2 in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Overview
Auburn small forward Allen Flanigan, Saint Peter’s point guard Jaylen Murray and Western Kentucky center Jamarion Sharp have provided a jolt of production in their first year’s at Mississippi.
Returning players Matthew Murrell and TJ Caldwell, both wings, and senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield remained at Ole Miss. Brakefield played his first year at Duke.
Former LSU and Georgetown wing Brandon Murray and ex-Memphis and Oklahoma State center Moussa Cisse are both two-time transfers, who aren’t eligible against NC State.
Rankings
Mississippi was No. 129 in the NET rankings, and NC State was No. 43 last year.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Rebels ranked No. 81 overall, and the Wolfpack are No. 52.
KenPom.com has Mississippi at No. 128, and NCSU checks in at No. 55 this season.
RealtimeRPI.com has Mississippi was ranked No. 68 in the country, and NC State is No. 107.
Shooting
Mississippi is averaging 72.2 points per game, and are shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 33.7 percent on three-pointers and 69.9 percent at the free-throw line.
Murray has gone 10 of 27 on three-pointers, and TJ Caldwell has gone 7 of 15 from beyond the arc for 46.7 percent.
Rebounding
Ole Miss is averaging 36.0 rebounds per game and are plus-0.6 on rebounding margin.
Flanigan leads the Rebels with 7.2 rebounds per game, with Sharp and Murrell behind him at 5.0. Sharp and Flanigan both have 11 offensive rebounds.
Defense
The Rebels are allowing 67.0 points per game, and teams are shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 34.5 percent on three-pointers.
The 7-5 Sharp brings a different dimension and has 14 blocks. Flanigan has a team-high nine steals.
Depth
Ole Miss is playing four players off the bench, with sophomore guard TJ Caldwell averaging 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game.
Freshman center Rashaud Marshall is a big body at 6-8 and 220 pounds, and sophomore guard Austin Nunez and freshman wing Robert Cowherd round out the rotation.
Star Watch
Senior small forward Allen Flanigan has been a solid scorer in the past, but nothing like he has been this season.
The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder played his first four years at Auburn, and averaged 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 2020-2021. Flanigan fell to 6.3 points in 2021-22, but bounced back to 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds a game last year.
Flanigan’s father, Wes Flanigan, played at Auburn and then was an assistant coach with the Tigers until last year. New Ole Miss coach Chris Beard hired him away, and Allen Flanigan followed. Wes Flanigan was Beard’s assistant coach at Arkansas-Little Rock, and then took over as head coach when Beard left for Texas Tech.
The move has paid off for the younger Flanigan, who has exploded to average 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds a contest, and is shooting 44.6 percent from the field.
Flanigan had 29 points against Eastern Washington on Nov. 10, and also had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a 77-76 win over at Temple on Nov. 22.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 0 DJ Horne (6-1, 175, R-Sr., 12.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.0 spg)
SG — 1 Jayden Taylor (6-4, 195, Jr., 14.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg)
G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Sr., 15.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 spg)
PF — 23 Mohamed Diarra (6-10, 215, Jr., 5.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.2 apg)
C — 30 D.J. Burns (6-9, 275, R-Sr., 14.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.4 spg)
Mississippi
PG — 5 Jaylen Murray (5-11, 170, Jr., 12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.4 spg)
SG — 11 Matthew Murrell (6-4, 200, Sr., 14.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.2 spg)
SG — 7 Allen Flanigan (6-6, 215, Sr., 20.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.0 bpg)
PF — 4 Jaemyn Brakefield (6-8, 220, Sr., 5.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg)
C — 3 Jamarion Sharp (7-5, 235, Sr., 5.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 2.6 spg)
Numbers Of Note
6 NCAA Tournament trips for coach Chris Beard since 2015-16 — one at Arkansas-Little Rock, four at Texas Tech and one at Texas.
64 Wins while at Ole Miss for NC State assistant coach Levi Watkins, who coached under former Rebels coach Kermit Davis from 2018-22.
626 Career points for point guard Jarkel Joiner at Ole Miss. He played his first two years at Cal-State Bakersfield (845 points), then three years at Ole Miss (one a redshirt) and then finished last year at NC State (578 points).
Game Within The Game: Ole Miss' Jamarion Sharp vs. NC State's D.J. Burns
There is always a bit of oddity involved with new Ole Miss senior center Jamarion Sharp.
Sharp is 7-5 and 235 pounds and has been one of the best shot-blockers in college basketball the last two years at Western Kentucky. Sharp, who is originally from Hopkinsville (Ky.) High, attended John A. Logan Junior College in Carterville, Ill., and then did two years at Western Kentucky and this season at Ole Miss.
Sharp averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.6 blocks in 28.0 minutes per game, and shot 72.6 percent from the field in 2021-22.
He followed up with 7.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 rebounds at WKU last year. He is down to 19.8 minutes a game at Ole Miss, and his numbers have fallen to 5.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game.
Sharp is shooting 67.7 percent from the field in his three-year career, but he is a liability at the free-throw line at 46.1 percent. He also has 21 assists in 69 career games.
NC State center D.J. Burns might have at least 65 pounds on Sharp, but it will be interesting to see what approach he takes against him. Burns is much improved on his jumper and could take him outside.
Burns is averaging 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, and he is shooting 58.9 percent from the field.
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