McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts, presented by Sego Wealth Management

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1. Saturday was almost a disaster for Ole Miss.

The Rebels were down 10 points in the second half versus hapless Missouri. A loss would've been devastating to the Rebels' NCAA Tournament hopes.

Ole Miss avoided the disaster, recovering in time to escape with a three-point win, setting up a three-week dash to the Southeastern Conference Tournament next month in Nashville.

The Rebels likely need 10 SEC wins to head to the Music City with an NCAA Tournament bid wrapped up. To get there, Ole Miss likely needs to go 4-2 down the stretch. It's doable, as the Rebels have games versus Georgia and Missouri -- two teams with a combined total of three SEC wins -- on the road and a home game versus Texas A&M left on the docket. Win those three and one of the remaining three -- at Mississippi State and home versus South Carolina and Alabama -- and the Rebels would be in great shape.

Go 3-3 down the stretch and Ole Miss would likely need to make some noise in Nashville to feel good on Selection Sunday.

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard admitted Saturday night that there was a March Madness feeling in the air. It's not new to Beard, who has taken Little Rock, Texas Tech and Texas to the NCAA Tournament earlier in his career, including a run to the national title game with the Red Raiders.

But it's a fairly new thing in Oxford, and on Saturday night, the SJB Pavilion was tense for the first 30 minutes of action before erupting a bit midway through the second half.

Ole Miss must play better -- and soon -- for this tournament dream to come true. However, the Rebels are in position to make that run, something that couldn't be said for the past several years around the program.

2. One thing is clear. If Ole Miss is going to make a tournament run, so much is up to Matthew Murrell.

Murrell led Ole Miss Saturday with 26 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. He played 36 minutes despite making several trips off the floor for work of some sort. He’s the heart and soul of this team, making six of nine 3-pointers to hold off Missouri’s upset bid.

“He got us off to a great start,” Beard said. “He was really aggressive offensively. I have a lot of respect for how he plays defense, too. Matt’s an effort guy. He plays hard, man. To play those kind of minutes and do all the things we ask of him from a leadership standpoint and to be guarding the way he does — he makes mistakes like everybody does; it’s a mistake game — but his effort is always on point.”

Murrell is having his best season in an Ole Miss uniform. He’s taking smarter shots. He’s playing with more patience. He’s turned it up on the defensive end of the floor. It’s a result, Beard said, of months and months of hard work.

“He’s in elite shape,” Beard said. “He’s an NBA player in terms of his conditioning and his mindset. He has a lot of intangibles.”

3. Up next: Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs, like Ole Miss, escaped what could’ve been a devastating home loss Saturday. Mississippi State held off Arkansas in Starkville to set up a big week and avoid a huge NET hit. From the Associated Press:

Josh Hubbard scored 19 points and Mississippi State picked up its third straight win, holding off Arkansas 71-67 on Saturday afternoon.

Mississippi State has now won its last three straight, including its first Southeastern Conference road win a week ago at Missouri.

Hubbard hit 6 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 10 from distance and Matthews hit 6 of 7 from the floor and was 5 of 10 from the line to add 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (17-8, 6-6).

Makhi Mitchell finished with 21 points and nine rebounds to lead Arkansas (12-13, 3-9). Khalif Battle added 18 points.

Arkansas took a 67-65 lead with 1:07 left on a layup by El Ellis, but Hubbard put the Bulldogs in front for good nine seconds later with a 3-pointer.

The Razorbacks missed multiple shot attempts trying to tie it. Tolu Smith blocked a Chandler Lawson layup attempt with 29 seconds left and, after an Arkansas time out, Shakeel Moore got a steal with 10 seconds left, was immediately fouled and made both free throws to push the lead to three. Ellis missed two free throws with a second left for the Razorbacks and Cameron Matthews added a free throw for the Bulldogs to end it.

Shawn Jones Jr.’s jumper with eight minutes left in the first half gave Mississippi State its largest lead, 25-17 and the Bulldogs held a 34-29 advantage at the break. Neither team could sustain a lead through most of the second half. The game featured nine times and five lead changes.

Mississippi State has six games left in its regular season, including three against ranked opponents, starting Wednesday at home against Ole Miss.

4. It’s time for my weekly ranking of the SEC, complete with NET ratings in parentheses.

Alabama (5) — The Tide has some weird guard play at times, but it’s a scoring machine when it gets hot.

Tennessee (6) — The Vols are a really well-rounded, versatile club.

Kentucky (21) — Just when you count the ‘Cats out, their talent surfaces and they look borderline elite in wins over Ole Miss and Auburn.

Auburn (7) — The Tigers never lose at home, but Kentucky damn sure wasn’t intimidated.

Florida (29) — The Gators could easily be a 10-2 SEC club. As is, they’re close to locking up a NCAA Tournament bid.

Mississippi State (37) — The Bulldogs, as most predicted, have erased that 3-6 front-half SEC record and are now on a roll.

Texas A&M (46) — The Aggies, unlike most Buzz Williams-coached teams, are very inconsistent. When they’re good, they’re really good.

Ole Miss (64) — The Rebels’ metrics are hurting them, but the path to the NCAA Tournament is there.

LSU (88) — Big credit to the Tigers. They are playing very hard and, lately, much better.

Georgia (96) — The Bulldogs just can’t close out games.

Arkansas (135) — The Hogs were awful at home versus Tennessee and then scared the hell out of Mississippi State.

Vanderbilt (218) — The Commodores do have a couple of SEC wins, which is more than someone can say.

Missouri (147) — The Tigers had a 10-point lead in Oxford and a chance to get their first league victory but it evaporated quickly.

5. Here are the games around the SEC to watch this week:

Wednesday:

Florida at Alabama — This is a free shot for the Gators, a chance to jump up a few seed lines with a win in Tuscaloosa.

Ole Miss at Mississippi State — The Bulldogs will be looking to avenge the Rebels’ win in Oxford, while Ole Miss will be looking for another breakthrough win.

Saturday:

South Carolina at Ole Miss — If Ole Miss can’t win in Starkville — and even if it does — this feels like a must-win game for the Rebels.

Alabama at Kentucky — Can the Wildcats stay hot? Can Alabama take its high-scoring act on the road?

Texas A&M at Tennessee — The Aggies routed the Vols in College Station. It will be a tougher assignment in Knoxville.

6. It’s a dead period, sure, but the transfer portal will heat back up in April.

In reality, it never really cools.

From Yahoo:

Michigan Wolverines safety Keon Sabb entered the NCAA transfer portal after Jim Harbaugh accepted the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers. Sabb, a former four-star recruit, is one of the top players available in the transfer portal.

Sabb will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. He just won a national championship with Michigan and would project as a started at pretty much any Power Five program.

Last season, Sabb recorded 28 total tackles and two interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound defensive back recorded six tackles and two pass deflections in the national championship against Washington.

My colleague at Rivals, Adam Friedman, said the teams to watch are Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, and Syracuse. I’ve heard Ole Miss is also very much in the mix and is trying to lure Sabb to Oxford.

I don’t need to write one of those horrifically stupid “Here’s how he fits” articles, either. Sabb is good at football. He plays a premium position. Ole Miss plays football and wants to be good at premium positions. There’s your fit.

And Sabb’s presence in the portal should serve as a reminder that 2024 rosters — at Ole Miss and elsewhere — aren’t finalized just yet.

7. The NBA All-Star Game is Sunday. With the final third of the season, here are my predictions for who will win the league’s individual awards:

Coach of the Year: Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder (You can make arguments for several others, but the Thunder are on pace to win 55-56 games with the second youngest team in the league.)

Clutch Player of the Year: Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors (This is perhaps the weirdest postseason award in all of sports.)

Most Improved Player: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (I think you can make a real argument for Houston’s Algerian Sengun, but the Rockets’ record will hurt him.)

Sixth Man of the Year: Norman Powell, Los Angeles Clippers (I think the Clippers’ strong close is going to take the award from Malik Monk and Tim Hardaway Jr.)

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves (It’s over, barring an injury).

Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (I think Chet Holmgren of the Thunder should win but the media love affair with Wemby is very passionate.)

MVP — Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a real shot, but it seems like it’s Jokic’s to lose.)

8. If the NBA Playoffs began today, the postseason would look like this:

Eastern Conference:

Play-in:

Chicago at Atlanta (winner faces Orlando-Miami loser)

Orlando at Miami (winner gets 7 seed, loser faces Chicago-Atlanta winner for 8 seed)

First Round:

Boston vs. Orlando/Chicago/Atlanta

Cleveland vs. Orlando/Miami

Milwaukee vs. Indiana

New York vs. Philadelphia

Western Conference:

Play-in:

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State (winner plays Dallas-Sacramento loser)

Dallas vs. Sacramento (winner gets 7 seed, loser faces Lakers-Golden State winner)

First Round:

Minnesota vs. Sacramento/Lakers/Golden State

Oklahoma City vs. Dallas/Sacramento

Los Angeles Clippers vs. New Orleans

Denver vs. Phoenix

Who are the real contenders, in my opinion? Boston is, for sure. The Celtics look like a title team. Milwaukee has the roster, but the Bucks haven’t played well of late. The Knicks made some strong moves at the deadline and could be a sleeper.

In the West, my eyes are on the red-hot Clippers. If they can stay healthy, they’re the best team in the NBA. Minnesota has size, star power and veteran leadership. Denver has scuffled a bit, but the Nuggets have Jokic and a championship pedigree. The sleeper, probably, is Oklahoma City. The Thunder are so very young, but they have legitimate star power. The acquisition of Gordon Hayward, assuming he’s healthy, could make OKC even more interesting in the playoffs.

9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson 223 — Chocolate Cookies with Confit Orange Slices.

Perfect for any occasion, these cookies are sure to impress with their delightful taste and elegant presentation. And of course, who doesn’t love cookies?

Tidbit #1: For any cookies, you need to chill the dough before cooking. This is best done after weighing them into equal balls and placing them on the baking tray and that tray in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking. This reduces the spreading effect that a lot of cookies have.

Tidbit #2: Confit orange slices add a touch of sweetness and citrusy aroma to each cookie. Once you pull the cookies from the oven, you will lightly push down to pieces of the confit oranges on top of each cookie.

Tidbit #3: Don’t forget to share the cookies…with yourself.

Things you'll need:

6 people

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Resting time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 12 minutes

Cooling time: 15 minutes Utensils needed:

Work surface and mixing bowls

Electric mixer and measuring cups

Baking sheet

Parchment paper

Wire rack

Oven

Ingredients needed:

1 cup butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup regular sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 whole eggs

2 cups cake flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chunks

Garnish -

20 confit orange slices

Mise en Place:

Step 1: In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, light brown sugar, and regular sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and eggs. Mix until well combined.

Step 1.2: In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chunks until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a big spoon to portion out the dough and place it onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the tray in the fridge to chill.

Step 2.1: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. Gently press a confit orange slice onto the top of each cookie, ensuring it adheres to the dough.

Final:

Step 3: Once the cookies are completely cooled, serve and enjoy! Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

From the Mississippian in Paris, Bon Appétit!

10. We’ll have coverage of Ole Miss basketball, baseball and whatever else may come up this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me — and hopefully, to you — for your reading pleasure:

The Story of Blake Hinson: ‘This is Not an Act’

Could Florida State buy the TV rights for FSU football from the ACC?

Mussatto: OKC Thunder has Big Three that rivals Durant, Westbrook, Harden days

OKC Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren is chasing greatness and isn't afraid to fail on the way

MLB players dressing down Nike, Fanatics over new uniforms that look 'like a replica'

All But Two MLB Teams Scrapping Spring Training Jerseys This Year | Uni Watch

New Study Finds Exercise Twice As Effective At Treating Depression Than Anti-Depressant Drugs

Harvard's president doesn't go quietly

No, Trump, the U.S. Can’t Pay Down the National Debt with Oil | National Review

Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out

Origin of kissing finally solved after years of mystery — and it includes a spicy secret