Here’s the link to the Ole Miss blog at our new website. Beginning today I’ll be posting on nems360.com. Bookmark the link and stay with us. Thanks.

– PA

The starting center on a guard-heavy team, Malcolm White, is leaving for what he termed personal reasons in the news release.

I don’t know more than that at this point, but I do know Malcolm is a hard kid to read — really high with the highs and low with the lows. This may have come as a bit of a surprise to the coaching staff. Malcolm showed some nice flashes on offense, but he struggled to hold the ball in traffic. And on a team that already had lots of guards who could score facing the basket, Malcolm’s style just wasn’t one that allowed him to post up with his back to the basket, make a move and score, the way Dwayne Curtis did so effectively before him.

That’s a style that would benefit this team going forward. I’m sure the staff is beating the bushes for a big man right now, but typically the best candidates are signed by now.

Guards already were the strength of this team, and that will apparently be even more pronounced next season. White was not overly consistent, but he was effective at times and now takes 27 games of low-post starting experience from the team.

This will no doubt require signee Reginald Buckner to grow up in a hurry next fall.

The returning experienced post players will be sophomore Murphy Holloway, senior DeAundre Cranston and sophomore Kevin Cantinol.

– PA

Ole Miss defensive tackle Peria Jerry goes through the cone drill for NFL scouts at the school’s indoor practice facility Thursday morning.

Special thanks to Brandon Speck of the Monroe Journal for this photo. Jerry went through all the drills while slowed a bit with a slight hamstring pull.

– PA

We’re sitting here at Pro Day in the IPF, which has lasted longer than anticipated.

Draft-eligible players have gone through about a half dozen tests for strength, speed and agility.

Some of us were timing players with cell phones, but we were asked not to publish times. Those times may be available later at NFL.com we were told.

A total of 45 scouts were on hand to represent every NFL team.

The first drill was the bench press where each player pressed 225 pounds as often as he could. The top three were Tony Fein at 29, Peria Jerry at 28 and Michael Oher at 25. Those figures are unofficial.

You can tell the scouts know Peria.

Jermey Parnell is also working out and has had a good day it appears. He’s been working in preparation for this day in Dallas, I was told.

Wide receiver Mike Wallace posted some excellent times at the NFL combine in February and has chosen not to work out today. He stands on those times. He’s walked around the IPF today in sweats with his Ipod.

Among the other Ole Miss players working out for scouts are Jamarca Sanford, Ashlee Palmer, Dustin Mouzon, Jason Cook and Maurice Miller.

– PA

From the press conference. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt …
On Greg Hardy after offseason foot surgery: “He’s been doing great with his rehab. He’s made all the 5:30 meetings and just being a great teammate. He can’t run, but he’s got the cast off, and he’s in the walking boot. He’s doing everything the doctors ask him to do.”
On Melvin Harris, the 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman WR who faces surgery: “I can’t stand it that he won’t be out there. He will have the same surgery as Hardy, and he’ll miss the spring. He did so much for us on the scout team, and you could see him learning and getting better each week.”
On replacing Jason Cook at fullback: “Derrick Davis is a guy, just watch him, he changed his body, put on 16-18 pounds. He gives us that quickness we need back there, that tailback playing fullback. If he can be physical, he can really help Andy (Hartmann, currently first team). Andy is that big, tough guy. He did an excellent job of blocking in the Cotton Bowl, and we’re excited to have him.”
On redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Stanley: “I’m very anxious to watch him after seeing him for one year on the scout team, to see him now under the live bullets when the heat’s on against the first team defense, which he’ll see a lot. I want to see how he handles that, how he does when it’s third and six or third and seven. He’s competing for a job now. I think you’ll be real impressed with his fundamentals.

– PA

Some new names appearing on a 2-deep for the first time. 2nd team OL – LG Brandon Green, a juco transfer last season, RG Mark Jean-Louis, a juco transfer two years ago with little experience, LT Alex Washington, RT Logan Clair, a mid-year juco transfer.

Other depth chart notes. Brandon Bolden begins spring ahead of Cordera Eason at tailback. Dexter McCluster, who was either starting or playing a great deal at tailback at the end of last season, is listed No. 1 at flanker ahead of Lionel Breaux. Andy Hartmann is listed No. 1 at fullback ahead of Derrick Davis.

On defense, Greg Hardy is listed third at end. He’ll miss the spring anyway, recovering from offseason foot surgery. Marshay Green and Cassius Vaughn are listed No. 1 at the cornerbacks with sophomore Marcus Temple backing up Vaughn and junior Jeremy McGee behind Green. Remember, Ohio State transfer James Scott has been dismissed.

Some promising redshirt freshmen to watch are Gerald Rivers, listed No. 2 at one end behind Kentrell Lockett, Lekenwic Haynes, No. 2 behind Allen Walker at strong linebacker and Jason Jones, No. 2 behind Jonahthan Cornell at middle linebacker. These three guys were head-turners in practice last year as true freshmen.

Other redshirt freshmen to watch are safeties Derrick Herman (SS) and Jared Mitchell (FS) both listed second team.

– PA

It doesn’t bode well for the SEC, unhappy with the fact that only two of its teams reached with the NCAA tournament, that its NIT entries are down to one team with a shot to reach Madison Square Garden.

Kentucky, an NIT 4 seed, plays at Notre Dame tonight for the right to advance to New York.

Florida and Auburn, both NIT 1 seeds, lost on their home floors in the go game last night.

I did think two of the SEC’s NCAA entries, MSU and LSU, got jobbed in the seeding a little bit, but the lack of sustained NIT runs from Florida and Auburn doesn’t cry out injustice over the NCAA situation.

– PA

This from Ole Miss media relations.

– PA

Due to inclement weather in the Hattiesburg area, the baseball game between No. 11 Ole Miss (15-6) and Southern Miss (13-9) scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday night has been postponed.

Inclement weather conditions that are not expected to clear by this evening forced the postponement of the contest between the two teams.

The game has been rescheduled for April 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Hattiesburg at Pete Taylor Park.

Ole Miss will continue play this weekend when the Rebels travel to Baton Rouge, La., to take on the second-ranked LSU Tigers in a three-game series beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday night.

*** UM athletics media relations

Press conference at 2. I’ll post some notes in the afternoon.

– PA

And it wasn’t even the Cardinals. Pitching problems carry over to mid-week. Next up is Southern Miss in Hattiesburg tonight on the way to Baton Rouge for the SEC series this weekend.

– PA

The Rebels’ football season opener against Memphis has been moved to an afternoon time slot on the Sunday before Labor Day to allow it to be shown on ESPN. Link.

– PA

Here’s the link.

– PA

The Florida quarterback’s impromptu speech following Ole Miss’ 31-30 win has been put on a plaque outside The Swamp. How does this make you feel as an Ole Miss fan?

I’ve never been clear if Tebow was more stunned that he lost or that he lost to Ole Miss.

– PA

Chris Warren played too many games to be considered for a medical redshirt and will be a junior when basketball practice begins next fall. Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy addressed Warren is a season-ending wrap with Jeff Roberson of the Ole Miss Spirit.

Says Kennedy: “We will appeal (to get Chris Warren another year), but he is one game over,” Kennedy said of the point guard’s situation. “We’ve researched it, and nobody has been able to win that appeal because the rule is the rule. It’s unfortunate for him, but it is what it is.”

– PA

Some day dreaming from Sunday when the score was climbing to 19-0.

– PA

Jordan Henry has been named SEC player of the week.

– PA

From SEC Media Relations
Henry continued to be a key component in the Rebel offense and critical to the Rebels posting a second straight series win in SEC play as he reached base safely in every game this week from the lead-off position … Henry was 7-for-17 with a team-leading seven runs scored and a team-leading five RBI on he week … He was also 5-for-6 in steal attempts.
# In the series opener against #24 Alabama, Henry again reached base safely in 4-of-5 plate appearances and went on to score in twice and also came up with two RBI…In comeback versus Memphis, scored three times and drove in winning run.

Ole Miss guards Terrico White and David Huertas join MSU center Jarvis Varnado as finalists for the Howell Trophy, which is awarded to the top men’s basketball player in the state.

On the women’s side, guard Bianca Thomas joins MSU guard Alexis Rack and USM forward Pauline Love as finalists for the Gillom Trophy.

– PA

Ole Miss jumps one spot to No. 11 in this week’s Baseball America Top 25.

– PA

According to Boyd Nation the Ole Miss RPI leaped from 70 to 34 with two wins over Alabama. The Tide’s RPI is currently 35. This weekend’s opponent, LSU, check in at 9.

Rankings update as that information becomes available later today.

– PA

Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco toyed with the idea of making Scott Bittle a starter from the get-go. He was more comfortable with Bittle in the pen, but now it looks like he has no choice.

Bianco named Bittle this weekend’s Sunday starter at LSU following the Rebels 19-6 loss yesterday.

The Rebels are at home against St. Louis Tuesday and at Southern Miss Wednesday.

– PA

Here are your lineups:

Alabama
LF Dugas
SS Rutledge
2B Wilson
RF Matthes
DH May
3B Smith
C DiFazio
1B Wes Henderson (new to the lineup, batting .438 in 16 at-bats)
CF Kubal
P Del Howell 1-0, 6 IP, 14 K, 1 BB

Ole Miss
CF Henry
2B Ferguson
LF Power
RF Travis
DH Hashman
1B Smith
3B Miller
SS Mort
C Basham
P Bukvich 3-0, 0.90, 20 IP, 19 K, 6 BB

About 7 minutes from first pitch.

– PA

Wild finish last night in Game 1. It was a deadline pusher, and that’s never a good thing.

It’s not often you see two good pitchers blow up at the same time. Fortunately for Ole Miss, the Rebels had the last at-bat.

Alabama right fielder Kent Matthes has been on a tear, but he was hitless last night. He’ll be one to keep an eye on today.

The Tide got big production from the bottom of the order last night. Seven-hole hitter Jake Smith was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run; eight-hole hitter Vin DiFazio had a solo home run; and nine-hole hitter Alex Kubal, who was at .214 when the night began, was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, including a one-out hit off Bittle to start the rally in the ninth.

Thanks Matt for jumping in with the updates last night.

We’re about 30 minutes from the first pitch today, and the rain is coming.

Here are the lineups:

Alabama
LF Dugas
SS Rutledge
2B Wilson
RF Matthes
1B May
DH Odle (He was a pinch-hitter and walked in the eighth last night, then popped out against McKean to end the Tide ninth.)
3B Smith
C Trotter (Former Itawamba AHS and ICC standout, hitting .478 in 23 at-bats, his sixth start.)
CF Kubal

Ole Miss
CF Henry
2B Ferguson
LF Power
RF Travis
DH Henson (replaces Phillips)
1B Smith
3B Miller (replaces Button)
SS Mort
C Basham

– PA

Ole Miss signee Reginal Buckner had 19 points and 13 rebounds in his team’s semifinal win over Chattanooga Grace Friday in Murfreesboro.

Buckner in Class A title game vs. Chattanoona Tennessee Temple at 2
p.m. Saturday on CSS-TV. Buckner had 19/13 rebs in semifinal win over
Chattanooga Grace, 60-48, on Friday in Murfreeboro.

– PA

A few pre-game notes here.

Ole Miss lineup and batting order
CF Jordan Henry
2B Tim Ferguson
LF Logan Power
DH David Phillips
RF Jeremy Travis
1B Matt Smith
3B Evan Button
SS Kevin Mort
C Brett Basham

Zach Miller (hamstring) was expected to be available this weekend. He is listed on the 25-man roster.

– PA

Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco adjusts his pitching rotation this weekend as the Rebels open home SEC play against what might be the best offense in the league: Alabama.

The Crimson Tide is tied for the league lead in hitting at .346 and his second in home runs at 39.

Individually, Bama’s Kent Matthes is second in hitting (.431), first in slugging (1.159), second in runs (31), first in RBI (36) and first in home runs (13).

– PA