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1. Ole Miss just keeps dominating. The Rebels defeated Auburn Saturday night, 5-1, to advance to the winners' bracket, where they'll face another familiar foe, Arkansas, on Monday night.
It's just a wild story, for there were no signs, as recently as late May, that this run was coming. Ole Miss lost two of three on the final weekend to Texas A&M, getting whacked around a bit in the Saturday finale. It saw its offense get shut down by Vanderbilt on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning in Hoover in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
You know the rest. Last team in, just relieved to have a second life, etc.
What's crazy is how well the Rebels have played in the aftermath of that stay of execution. What was unpredictable is how balanced they've played, how efficient they've been on the mound and at the plate. They're playing with remarkable confidence. They're getting strong outings from starting pitchers and dominant relief work.
Ole Miss is starting to look like a team of destiny. You know those teams when you see them and the Rebels display plenty of those characteristics.
2. Of course, Ole Miss has to get through Arkansas to reach that destiny, and as much as fans will hate this, the Rebels have to feel like they're looking in the mirror when they see the Razorbacks.
Like Ole Miss, Arkansas ascended to the top of the polls midway through the season. Like Ole Miss, Arkansas collapsed a bit late, playing its way out of a regional host. Like Ole Miss, Arkansas lost its last series, getting blown out in a regular-season finale at Alabama. Like Ole Miss, Arkansas went winless in Hoover, losing to Alabama and Florida before being sent back to Fayetteville to lick its wounds.
"Once we got into postseason play, I just felt they didn't want to fail," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said.
Arkansas ran into a little bit more adversity in its regional than Ole Miss did. The Razorbacks were two outs away from a clean slate in Stillwater before Zach Gregory slipped in left field, allowing two Oklahoma State runs to score and eventually forcing a winner-take-all seventh game the following night.
Arkansas played a near-perfect game on that Monday night and then advanced to Chapel Hill, where it swept North Carolina. The Hogs destroyed Stanford, 17-2, Saturday afternoon to advance to its date with Ole Miss.
Like Ole Miss, Arkansas has found itself at the plate. The Razorbacks are getting production up and down the lineup. Robert Moore has begun to hit like he did a year ago. Peyton Stovall has begun to be quite impactful in the eight-hole.
"We're running a pretty good offense right now," Van Horn said.
3. The pitching matchup Monday night should be fascinating. Ole Miss will go with freshman left-hander Hunter Elliott, who has been nails in the postseason, beating Miami and Southern Miss.
Elliott has seen Arkansas before. On April 30 in Fayetteville, Elliot went six innings, giving up four hits and three runs while walking one and striking out eight. Elliott threw 110 pitches that night, giving way to Jack Daugherty in the seventh. The Razorbacks got to Daugherty in the ninth, getting a three-run, walk-off home run from Kendall Diggs to take a 6-3 win.
Of course, Elliott is even better now than he was then, and the Razorbacks' offense, one that was scuffling at that point in the season, is rolling now. The second time around figures to be more than a little bit interesting to watch unfold.
Arkansas started freshman left-hander Hagen Smith that night. Smith also went six innings, allowing seven hits and two runs, walking two and striking out eight. Smith, however, has been used primarily as a reliever in the postseason. He couldn't get out of the second inning of his winners' bracket start against Oklahoma State in the Stillwater Regional. Two nights later, he closed out the Razorbacks' win with two innings of relief work.
In Chapel Hill, Arkansas went with right-hander Will McEntire in the second game. He was brilliant, going 5 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing three hits and walking two while striking out four. My guess is Van Horn will turn to McEntire again Monday, knowing he, like Ole Miss' Mike Bianco, has a very rested bullpen.
If Elliott is on, I love Ole Miss' chances Monday. If Arkansas can keep it close early and get his pitch count up, the game could become a chess match. Ole Miss is the hottest team in the country. Arkansas isn't far behind. The loser won't be dead, as both teams have shown the ability to overcome adversity, but the winner is going to be firmly in the driver's seat for a trip to the national championship series.
4. It should be an eventful week on the recruiting circuit this week. Tuscaloosa, Ala., four-star offensive tackle Wilkin Formby is set to make his decision public on Monday. Rome, Ga., defensive tackle Stephiylan Green is set to make his public two days later. Then, on Sunday, four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada is expected to announce his college choice.
Formby is down to Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, Oklahoma and LSU. Green has narrowed his list to Tennessee, Ole Miss, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. Rashada, meanwhile, is considering Ole Miss, Florida, Miami, LSU and Texas A&M.
My predictions:
Formby -- Ole Miss
Green -- Georgia (but I honestly have no idea)
Rashada -- Florida
5. Jon Rothstein released his way too early Top 45 for the coming college basketball season. Few love and follow the college game as much as Rothstein, so I find his analysis interesting.
He's got North Carolina, Gonzaga, Creighton, Houston and Kentucky as his top five. There are several SEC programs sprinkled throughout. Rothstein has Arkansas at 11, Tennessee at 14, Auburn at 17, Texas A&M at 21, Alabama at 34 and Florida 41.
In other words, if Ole Miss is going to pull a surprise this season, it's going to have its hands pretty full in the league.
6. The Golden State Warriors claimed another NBA title with a 103-90 win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Thursday night. The win game the Warriors a 16-6 playoff record and, far more importantly, their fourth title in eight years.
In my opinion, the title solidified Stephen Curry's legacy as an all-time great. Curry, who finished with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the closeout victory, claimed his first Finals MVP award as a unanimous selection. There was no debate, given that his 43-point masterpiece in Game 4 flipped the series in Golden State’s favor.
“This championship hits different,” Curry said. “Knowing what the last three years have meant, from injuries to the changing of the guard on the roster. Carrying the belief that we could get back to this stage and win, even if it didn’t make sense to anybody when we said it. Now we’ve got four championships. It’s special.”
As the Washington Post noted, "Curry has now won a title before, during and after his partnership with Kevin Durant, an accomplishment that recalls San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan’s ability to win across multiple eras and with different supporting casts.
'This is probably the most meaningful one,” Warriors Joe Lacob told the newspaper amid the postgame celebration.
I'll never be confused for a Warriors fan, but one has to respect what they've accomplished. In 2019, after Durant had left for Brooklyn and after Klay Thompson suffered a severe knee injury, most, self included, believed their run was done. It wasn't. Instead, the Warriors got the most out of Andrew Wiggins and employed a small-ball lineup with Draymond Green essentially playing center.
“We built this thing from the ground up,” Green said Wednesday. “When you build something from the ground up, that’s your baby. We all appreciate each other, and we understand what each of us bring to the table. It stretches far past what we have accomplished on the basketball court. You’re talking about bonds that will last forever.”
Curry, meanwhile, might have to be considered the greatest shooter of all time. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer and at 34, he might not be done yet. He's done so many things in his career, but this title, as Warriors coach said, was likely his "crowning achievement."
“I’ve said it many times, Steph reminds me of Tim Duncan," said Kerr, who played with Duncan in San Antonio. "From a humanity standpoint, from a talent standpoint, humility, confidence, it’s a wonderful combination that makes everyone want to win for him. Without him, none of this happens."
7. Meanwhile, I viewed this Warriors title run as an indictment of Durant. The Warriors defeated Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016, and Durant bolted OKC for Golden State that summer.
Durant won two titles with Golden State and had he not suffered an Achilles injury in The Finals against Toronto in 2019, he may have won another. He's a great player, one of the best scorers to ever grace the court.
However, the Warriors' winning without him makes one wonder if Durant was just a luxury -- and not a necessity -- during his time in the bay. The Warriors won with Harrison Barnes at small forward. Now they've won with Wiggins in the same spot.
I know I'm not objective here, but from a pure legacy standpoint, Durant's decision to join the Warriors was awful, and it looks even worse now. He needed to take his team to a title, even if that meant leaving the Thunder and going to Boston or Washington. The Thunder were likely going to get a title in 2017 had he stayed, and then, he could've done anything he'd wanted.
Instead, he joined Curry's team, and on Thursday night, Curry proved he didn't need Durant to win. He likely never did. And that knowledge, at least in my opinion, is a dagger to Durant's reputation as a player.
8. The NBA Draft is Thursday night. I've spent way too many hours listening to podcasts previewing this year's draft. So, here are my predictions for what will happen when the Orlando Magic are put on the clock Thursday:
1. Orlando -- Jabari Smith, Auburn
2. Oklahoma City -- Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga
3. Houston -- Paolo Banchero, Duke
4. Sacramento -- Keegan Murray, Iowa
5. Detroit -- Jaden Ivey, Purdue
6. Indiana -- A.J. Griffin, Duke
7. Portland -- Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona
8. New Orleans -- Shaedon Sharpe, Kentucky
9. San Antonio -- Dyson Daniels, G League Ignite
10. Washington -- Ousmane Dieng, France
11. New York -- Jalen Duren, Memphis
12. Oklahoma City -- Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
13. Charlotte -- Mark Williams, Duke
14. Cleveland -- Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
15. Charlotte -- Malaki Branham, Ohio State
16. Atlanta -- Tari Eason, LSU
17. Houston -- TyTy Washington, Kentucky
18. Chicago -- Jaden Hardy, G League Ignite
19. Minnesota -- Nikola Jovic, Serbia
20. San Antonio -- Jalen Williams, Santa Clara
21. Denver -- E.J. Liddell, Ohio State
22. Memphis -- Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
23. Philadelphia -- Kendall Brown, Baylor
24. Milwaukee -- Walker Kessler, Auburn
25. San Antonio -- Jake LaRavia, Wake Forest
26. Dallas -- Christian Braun, Kansas
27. Miami -- MarJon Beauchamp, G League Ignite
28. Golden State -- Josh Minott, Memphis
29. Memphis -- Justin Lewis, Marquette
30. Denver -- Dalen Terry, Arizona
9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 140 — The King.
Being that it is my first Father’s Day, I don’t know what to write for a recipe. I just have a big smile today because of my son. Just to make a connection between this day and food, well Elvis P., you're up! The famous p-nut butter, banana, bacon, and honey sandwich.
Tidbit #1: Yes, you can eat this sandwich for breakfast, brunch, lunch, a snack, or dinner. There I said it.
Tidbit #2: You will be using 1 pan just like a grilled cheese. We will cook the bacon first, keeping the grease in the pan to pan-fry both sides of the banana slices with some honey and finish it off with toasted bread. Yum.
Tidbit #3: Use good quality bread and the sandwich is just that much better. Try to find good country bread from your bakery.
Things you will need:
2 People
Preparation time - 5 Minutes
Cook time - 12 Minutes
Probably water
Utensils needed:
Work surface and chef’s knife
Stovetop
Sauté pan with lid
Fork
Measuring cups
Side plate
Ingredients needed:
2 slices of good bread
3 Strips bacon
2 Spoonfuls of p-nut butter
2 Tsp honey
2 Bananas
Chili Powder
Salt
Mise en Plac
Step 1: Cook your bacon in the sauté pan over medium heat until crispy. Place on the plate with paper towels. Then place your sliced bananas to the length of the bread slices. Sear on 1 side and then add the honey while cooking on the other.
Step 1.2: With your bottom bread, add the p-nut butter on top followed by the fried bananas and then bacon. Sprinkle some Chili Powder over the top with a small amount of salt also. Add your top layer.
Final
Step 2: Grill the top layer of the sandwich first followed by the bottom. Then serve up hot. You have the best of all worlds.
From the Mississippian in Paris, Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers out there! I am glad to be in the club.
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss baseball, football recruiting and whatever else comes up this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me -- and hopefully, to you -- for your reading pleasure:
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff: NCAA shouldn't govern college football - The Athletic
What USC’s new NIL deal means for the Trojans’ future in college football’s new world - The Athletic
The story behind Evan McPherson, Clark Harris sneaking out for Super Bowl halftime show
Warriors Dynasty to Continue for Foreseeable Future
NBA draft profile: Dyson Daniels looking to be the next great player from Australia
Cubs president Jed Hoyer is feeling the heat for the team’s 'multi-system failure'
Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain knows his improbable MLB career is drawing to a close - The Athletic
What to do about Shohei Ohtani long-term: A complicated equation for the Angels
Myles Garrett can chase goal to avoid Hall of Fame until he makes it
MLS agrees to 10-year broadcast deal with Apple worth $2.5 billion: Sources - The Athletic
‘13 years down the drain. Just like that’ — The Premier League’s forgotten kids - The Athletic
China bank protest stopped by health codes turning red, depositors say | Reuters
NBA Finals: While Celtics battle Warriors, Enes Freedom fights China
Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry Amid Continued Passion for Their Work
Looking for a job-hunting edge? These 15 metros are opportunity magnets
Fatherhood: Man’s Most Important Job? - Rasmussen Reports®
The NBA Finals ... and my late father
price of gasoline too high? buy an EV!
Father’s Day memories: Female sports journalists on the dads who shaped their fandom - The Athletic
