McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by GameChanger Patch Co.
GameChanger Patches are the only two-patch system available in the market to stop hangovers before they start. The WarmUp Patch is used before or while you drink, and the OverTime patch is used after you’ve been drinking to recover while you sleep. The all-natural ingredients will keep you in the game and ready for your next play. Go to GameChangerPatch.com. Enter Promo Code RebelGrove20 at checkout for 20% off your purchase.
1. I knew Friday was coming.
I just didn't know it would be Friday.
The Kermit Davis era ended, at least in my opinion, on Dec. 20, when the Rebels lost to North Alabama.
I was in Boise, Idaho, that day, paying up a bet I lost as part of a twice-weekly podcast I co-host (McCready & Siskey, powered by Reign Total Body Fuel). I was freezing during the third quarter of Eastern Michigan's win over San Jose State in the Famous Idaho Potatoes Bowl when the score popped up on my phone, and I knew basketball season had just ended before Christmas.
Ole Miss played a bunch of close games in Southeastern Conference play, but the numbers were inescapable. This isn't Upward, where everything is built on equity and stars are passed out for sportsmanship and hustle. Nope, SEC hoops are a scoreboard business, and Ole Miss came out on the wrong end of way too many scoreboards three of the past four years.
I expected -- or maybe hoped, if I'm being honest -- that Ole Miss and Davis would reach some sort of amicable agreement, one in which it would be announced prior to next month's SEC Tournament in Nashville, that Davis wouldn't coach next season and Davis would be honored over the last week and a half for the career that he's put together.
Of course, I kept hearing Davis wasn't ready to get out of coaching, and his answers to a couple of questions in recent weeks told me he might not agree to the exit I just described. So when Davis was informed he wouldn't be Ole Miss' coach next year, that was that.
Win Case coached Ole Miss Saturday night against LSU. He'll coach the Rebels' remaining games, however many there are. Some things were different Saturday night. There was no timeout in the first few minutes. His rotations were less frenetic than Davis' use of the bench as a punishment. Ole Miss played one of its best offensive games of the season, beating LSU, 82-69.
Things were calmer. At this point, everyone knows the score. There won't be any miracles in Nashville. There will just be an end, and then a roster full of players and a staff full of coaches will go into an offseason of uncertainty and change.
Everyone knew it was coming months ago, so while Friday morning was a bit of a surprise, the page turned quickly.
2. Speaking of, all eyes are now squarely on the future.
Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter was in his usual seat at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion Saturday night.
No one would be overly surprised if there's a candidate for the Ole Miss job that Carter secretly covets. Coaching searches are fluid like that. People are quietly interested and then they're not. Sometimes coaches privately put out feelers. Agents play games with friendly media. What's true on a Monday in a coaching search can be completely false by Wednesday. Vacant jobs are used for leverage. Et cetera.
What can't be denied is two names -- Will Wade and Chris Beard -- are dominating the conversation around the Ole Miss vacancy. When national reporters such as Jeff Goodman mention those guys, heads turn. Both are strong coaches who have taken more than one program to the NCAA Tournament. Wade was building a power in Baton Rouge before he ran into NCAA problems and was caught talking on a federal wiretap. Wade's IARP case was heard earlier this month in Dallas. A ruling is expected in May or June, and while people close to the case believe Wade won't be given a show cause (or he'll get "time served" if there is one), no one necessarily knows that for sure, meaning a hypothetical Wade hiring at Ole Miss (or anywhere else) is a risk.
It should be noted that people connected with LSU believe there will be sanctions against both the program and Wade when the ruling comes down. Wade is confident he won't be sanctioned. Only a small handful of people, possibly including SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, know what is coming, and it's possible that determination has not been made. NCAA committees don't exactly work on a strict deadline.
Then there's Beard, who landed a $30 million deal at his alma mater, Texas, only to be fired less than two seasons in after he was arrested Dec. 12 on third-degree domestic violence charges after an altercation with his fiancée.
He had been suspended without pay by the university since that day after his fiancée Randi Trew called Austin police and told them Beard had strangled her, bit her and caused her abrasions. Beard was fired in early January. The Travis County (Texas) district attorney's office dropped the charges against Beard earlier this month.
Both coaches are interested in the Ole Miss job. Wade, per sources, wants it badly and believes he could win big quickly in Oxford.
Without baggage, Ole Miss would have no chance at either Wade or Beard. None. The program has been irrelevant in league circles for four of the past six seasons and one of the two relevant seasons was marred by COViD-19. There's pressure to win, to fill the Pavilion, to compete in a high-profile league in a high-profile sport.
A sleepy hire would be a mistake. The high-profile hire is laced with risk. Things could, conceivably, happen quickly. Or if Carter is waiting on a mid-major coach having a strong season, it could drag on for weeks.
There's also the possibility that Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann, who has been very steady at Butler and Ohio State prior to this season, gets the reset he desires at Ole Miss. Holtmann would've been viewed as a home-run hire a year ago if Ole Miss had moved on Davis then. One bad season shouldn't work against him, and it's my opinion his name is one to watch if Ole Miss decides it can't and/or won't hire Beard or Wade.
It certainly feels like a pivotal moment for the program. That's likely an understatement.
3. It's easy, doing what I do, to have some tunnel vision. The people who read this, for the most part, are die-hard fans. I don't know the exact demographics, but the overwhelming majority of my readership is male. I co-host a daily podcast where we joke about our listenership being four percent female. It's actually almost double that, but still, we're catering to a male audience.
So I spent some time Saturday canvassing some female Ole Miss fans on social media. I wondered how they would feel if Ole Miss hired Beard as its next coach, given the circumstances surrounding his exit at Texas.
I granted total anonymity. To a person, the reaction was negative. It was thoughtful and it was nuanced, but there's no doubt that if Ole Miss were to hire Beard, messaging would matter and there would be feelings that would need to be soothed.
“It sends a message to everyone that you only care about winning," one respondent said. "I think it tells the women in your organization that we will do whatever it takes to win, no matter how bad it looks.
"At first, I suspect that I,like most women, will be upset about, but if he wins big and doesn’t have another scandal, most people will move on and forget about it.
"It just seems like a really big gamble that doesn’t seem worth it.”
Another was even stronger.
"Personally, I hate it," she said. "Rationally, I understand why Keith would do it, and I know that if he’s going to do it, it should be now. Emotionally, it bothers me and I do think if the pictures ever come out it would be bad for Ole Miss. And he absolutely can’t get in any other kind of trouble.
" I’m trying to remember this is a business but hiring him feels so sleazy to me."
Yet another gave Beard the benefit of the doubt, at least to a degree, but wondered if now is too soon.
"So, my first reaction is that there are two sides to every story and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle," she said. "I also feel like most things like this are sensationalized in such a way that it’s hard to know what really happened. Would it be a bad look for the university to hire him so soon? Probably. The police report is pretty damning for him. Should he be blackballed forever? I don’t think so, but I do think it’s too soon for Ole Miss to hire him."
As I've repeatedly said, it's easy to just say "Hire Beard." It's another thing to actually do it, knowing his hiring will most certainly send a message that it's about nothing but winning. Hiring Beard will require thick skin, a nuanced media messaging campaign and as much certainty as possible that whatever happened that December night in Austin never happens again.
4. I’m not sure what I think about the Brandon Miller situation. The Alabama star is an elite player, as close to a lock to be the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft this summer as anyone could be. Victor Wembanyama is going No. 1 and Scoot Henderson is going No. 2. After that, there are a handful of future NBA stars in the mix, but none are more impactful than Miller.
Miller scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds in Alabama’s dramatic win over Arkansas Saturday, an 86-83 decision that wasn’t safe until the final seconds, when Ricky Council IV’s 3-pointer bounced off the back of the rim as time expired.
Should Miller be on the floor at all? According to Tuscaloosa police, Miller transported, though never handled, the alleged murder weapon to his ex-teammate, Darius Miles. The gun was legally owned by Miles, who then allegedly gave it to Michael Davis.
Miles and Davis have been charged with capital murder in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris. And police say Miller will not be charged.
Alabama officials have insisted Miller cooperated with police, knew nothing of Miles’ or Davis’ intent or that there was an altercation brewing at the scene of the crime when he arrived with the weapon. Without intent, police say, there’s nothing to charge Miller with.
Still, Miller brought a gun that resulted in the death of a young mother. If he shows better judgment and does not comply with Miles’ request for him to “my joint (slang for gun),” Harris is almost certainly alive today.
On Saturday, as he was introduced prior to the game against Arkansas, a teammate patted him down as if Miller were going through security. It’s something Miller and the Crimson Tide have done all season, but given the revelation last week regarding Miller’s presence at the scene of the murder, maybe it wasn’t the greatest idea.
Alabama coach Nate Oats agreed after the win over the Razorbacks.
"I think that's something that's been going on all year,” Oats said. “I don't really know. I don't watch our introductions, I'm not involved with them. I'm drawing up plays during that time. Regardless, it's not appropriate, it's been addressed and I can assure you it definitely will not happen again the remainder of this year.”
The 6-foot-9 Miller is likely the SEC’s best player. He’s going to be the story of the SEC Tournament and one of the big stories of the NCAA Tournament, as Alabama is a likely No. 1 seed. He plays with passion. He’s a vicious competitor, but he needs to dial some of that down. His actions, at least indirectly, led to a young woman’s murder.
There’s a decent chance we don’t know everything about that night. More will almost certainly come out. Alabama is standing behind Miller, and maybe that’s the right thing to do. But someone in Tuscaloosa should look past the scoreboard and look at the optics a bit and maybe show at least a dash of contrition.
5. It’s time for my weekly ranking of the SEC basketball teams, complete with NET ranking in parentheses.
1. Alabama (2) -- Miller is so very good. The NBA will dig deep, but he's a franchise player.
2. Tennessee (3) -- The Vols are going to be draw-dependent in March, but they're dangerous.
3. Texas A&M (26) -- The Aggies went 12 minutes without a field goal in the second half in Starkville, but they're dangerous in March.
4. Kentucky (20) -- The Wildcats have figured things out.
5. Arkansas (14) -- Nick Smith Jr. totally changes Arkansas' profile.
6. Mississippi State (40) -- What a huge win for the Bulldogs. A tournament bid is theirs for the taking.
7. Auburn (36) -- Auburn didn't just lose to Kentucky. The Tigers got mauled.
8. Missouri (49) -- Nashville figures to be critical for the Tigers.
9. Vanderbilt (87) -- That loss in Baton Rouge will sting for a long time.
10. Florida (64) -- Without Colin Castelton, there's just not enough there.
11. Georgia (145) -- The Bulldogs have a couple of good players, but Mike White has a lot of work to do.
12. South Carolina (239) -- Lamont Parris has done a strong job, really, in Year 1, but like White, he has a major rebuild to undertake.
13. Ole Miss (129) -- All eyes are now squarely on the future. At least there's that.
14. LSU (156) -- Matt McMahon learned this year that the SEC is a players' league. He'll retool the Tigers roster in the offseason.
6. The final week of the SEC regular season is upon us. Here are some games that should be super entertaining in case you’re Jonesing for meaningful basketball as the calendar flips to March:
Tuesday:
Arkansas at Tennessee
Wednesday:
Auburn at Alabama
Saturday:
Alabama at Texas A&M
Tennessee at Auburn
Kentucky at Arkansas
7. I've watched some SEC baseball, but not nearly enough to delve into anything resembling weekly rankings just yet.
I'll simply say I've watched enough to draw two conclusions:
1. The league is full of potentially really good teams.
2. February baseball, for the overwhelming most part, shouldn't be used to draw any conclusions.
In lieu of that, I've thought a lot about Ole Miss pitcher Hunter Elliott over the past few days. As you likely know by now, Elliott felt tightness in his pitching forearm after the Rebels' season-opening win over Delaware. He's had an MRI, one that Ole Miss sent to multiple orthopedics for evaluation. He'll head out of state this week for another opinion, and his status remains unknown.
More than anything, I feel for Elliott. He was a huge part of Ole Miss' national title last year. He returned to Oxford for the celebration then left immediately to pitch for the national team. He took it easy this fall and then ramped it up to be the ace for the defending champions. Suddenly, just a few innings into the new season, his future is unclear.
Obviously, something is wrong with his elbow. However, that something is obviously not crystal clear. Do you try to rehab for a few weeks and see if you can pitch again? Can you do that with a clear mind? Do you try an alternative treatment or surgery that is relatively new but has been successful? Do you go ahead and have Tommy John surgery on the elbow, knowing that means you might not pitch again at the college level? It's a brutal predicament, one that seems unfair for a talented college sophomore with a very bright future in baseball.
However, that's where Elliott sits today. I've tried to ask myself what I'd advise my son to do in that situation, but I can't really imagine. I can't reach a firm conclusion. I think I know, but I waver, and obviously, I'm not actually involved. I just wish him the best, and more than anything, I wish him peace and clarity as he goes through the decision-making process.
8. Last week, I made my sure-to-go-laughingly wrong predictions for the American League. Today, I do the same for the National League. Again, I'm getting ahead on this a bit, as March is going to be a weird month for me in terms of travel that will mess up a couple of Sundays.
National League East:
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. New York Mets
4. Miami Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
National League Central:
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Cincinnati Reds
National League West:
1. San Diego Padres
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies
9. It’s time to eat. Here’s Burton Webb with Taste of the Place, Lesson 175 — Cheese Naan.
So this was created in India, right? Well, the funniest thing is that it was created in Paris, France. With that being said, let’s get right into the recipe.
Tidbit #1: With any dough that you make, it is usually the same technique. Pour your water into your stand mixer with the yeast. Add in the flour, and then turn on medium speed for 10 minutes. This dough is not any different and the reason that you use a stand mixer is twofold:
Tidbit #1.2: You need to work the gluten in the flour. Most flour has about 12% gluten in it and it will create cell walls like in flowers. The second use is to create friction in the dough, aka heating it. Yeast multiplies faster when in a warm environment.
Tidbit #2: To cook this dough, you will divide it into 10 equal pieces and then cook it in a very hot pan with no oil. You will cover it with a lid and you need to see it inflate. You will turn the naan over and continue to cook the other side the same way. Then you get to eat them!
Things you will need:
4 people
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Resting time - 2 hours
Cooking time - 20 minutes
IPA Beer
Utensils needed:
Work surface and rolling pin
Stand mixer with a dough hook
Measuring cup
Sauté pan with lid
Fish spatula
Stovetop
Plastic Wrap
Fork or small metal spatula
Ingredients needed:
1 cup water
4 Cups All Purpose Flour
4 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp salt
1 Package active dry yeast
1/2 Cup yogurt
1 Container spreadable cheese (your favorite)
Butter
Mise en Plac
Step 1: Add the ingredients to the stand mixer except for the cheese and butter. Mix with the dough hook for 10 minutes on medium-low speed. Once the dough because homogeneous, turn off the machine. Wrap the top with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place until the mixture doubles in size.
Step 2: Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it into 10 equal parts. Use your rolling pin to roll into circles. Place 2 tbsp of the cheese into the center of the dough and use your fork to spread it out.
Step 3: Fold the sides to the center of the dough and then repeat for the rest.
Final
Step 4: Heat your pan to medium-high. Place the bottom side of the naan on the hot pan. Cover with the lid and let inflate. Flip over using the fish spatula and repeat. Take from the pan and rub with melted butter. Serve with fish or even on your next table presentation. You can also add garlic olive oil on top if you interested.
From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!
10. We’ll have coverage of Ole Miss basketball, baseball, football recruiting and whatever else may come up this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me — an d hopefully, to you — for your reading pleasure:
Ole Miss' Jacob Gonzalez Develops Into Premier Shortstop, Likely Top-10 Pick
'Everybody circles 88 as the game wrecker': Jalen Carter is best yet from UGA D-linemen ranks
What to expect at the NFL combine: Workouts, free agent chatter and trade whispers
TideIllustrated - Film study: Breaking down Jahvon Quinerly’s resurgence against Arkansas
Big Ten Will Target More PAC-12 Programs: REPORT
Vannini: Streaming won't save college football as we know it because it's not saving TV
Taylor Lewan mentions Bengals as he heads to free agency
'Too much influence,' too few wins in Russell Wilson's first year with Broncos
Potential NFL salary cap cuts per team for 2023 season: Joe Mixon, Matt Ryan and more
Fun part begins for Steve Kerr, Grant Hill and Team USA after dirty work in shadows
The Unicorn Era: Victor Wembanyama heads a coming stampede of skilled big men
Clark: MLBPA is 'never going to agree to a cap'
NBA All-Star Game flops, Daytona 500 flat, XFL sluggish on a busy weekend: Sports on TV
My awkward encounter with Trent Dilfer's dog — a story that bit me in the face | Estes
WSJ News Exclusive | Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, Energy Department Now Says
Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Arkansas education reform should be 'blueprint for states'
Highly Intelligent and Possibly Invincible Super Pigs Are Invading America
Experts say you’ve been storing potatoes wrong this whole time — and shut down cancer rumors