The 2007–08 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represented the University of Mississippi during the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Andy Kennedy in his second season, the Rebels competed at the Tad Smith Coliseum and were members of the West division of the Southeastern Conference.
The Rebels started their season 13–0, including a win against No. 15 Clemson in the San Juan Shootout, a midseason tournament won by Ole Miss. Following the win, the Rebels were ranked for the first time since their 2000–01 season, reaching a peak of No. 16 in the AP poll. A 7–9 conference record and 21–9 overall record during the regular season would rank the team third in the West division of the SEC, pitting the Rebels against Georgia in the first round of the SEC tournament, which the Rebels lost in overtime, 95–97.
For the second year in a row, the Rebels were invited to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated UC Santa Barbara in the first round, Nebraska in the second, and the one-seed Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden, where the Rebels lost to eventual tournament champions Ohio State. The Rebels finished their season with a total record of 24–11.
Preseason
During the 2006–07 season, the Rebels were led by first-year head coach Andy Kennedy to a 21–13 record and 8–8 conference record, finishing with a co-West division regular season title with in-state rivals Mississippi State. In the conference tournament, the Rebels advanced to the semifinals before falling to eventual victors Florida, who would then go on to win the national tournament. The Rebels also participated in that year's National Invitation Tournament, defeating Appalachian State in their first postseason victory since 2001 before falling in the second round to Clemson. The Rebels' 21 wins marked the most since their 2000–01 season, and the most ever by a debut coach at Ole Miss. With this performance, Kennedy was named the 2007 SEC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
After sitting out for the 2006–07 season due to NCAA transfer rules, former Florida shooting guard David Huertas became eligible to compete for the 2007–08 Rebels.
On April 17, 2007, it was announced that sophomore forward Trey Hampton, sophomore center Xavier Hansbro, and freshman forward Andy Ogide would not be returning to the program.
In the 2007-08 SEC Media Preseason Poll, consisting of a panel of SEC and national media members, Ole Miss was predicted to finish last in the Western Division. Senior Dwayne Curtis was projected to finish as a second-team All-SEC player.
Recruiting
The Rebels signed three recruits during the November signing period, including Zach Graham, a 6-foot-5 small forward out of Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia, where he earned All-State honors during his senior season. Rivals.com ranked him as the number 29 small forward and number 137 overall player in the nation. Also a star quarterback, Graham decided to pursue college basketball following his participation at a skills camp. Also signed was Kevin Cantinol, a 6-foot-8 center out of Clearwater, Florida, though originally from Martinique. Despite having played organized basketball for only three years, Cantinol received All-Conference honors while playing for Calvary Christian High School. The last signing of the year was Chris Warren, a 5-foot-11 point guard out of Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida. Warren earned All-State honors as a junior and was ranked the number 20 point guard in the nation by Scout.com. Warren chose Ole Miss over Old Dominion and VCU.
During the later signing period, the Rebels signed 6-foot-2 shooting guard Trevor Gaskins. Out of Chattahoochee High School in Alpharetta, Georgia, Gaskins was ranked as a three-star recruit and the number 18 recruit in the state by Rivals.com. Gaskins chose Ole Miss over Tennessee and Florida State. Also signed was 6-foot-7 small forward Wesley Jones out of Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi. Jones, one of the top junior college recruits in the country, received All-America second-team honors during his sophomore campaign.
The Rebels also picked up 6-foot-5 shooting guard Terrence Watson out of Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan. Watson earned All-America honors after leading Mott to a National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. Watson picked Ole Miss over Charlotte, Houston, Detroit Mercy, Western Michigan, Marshall, and UAB.
The Rebels' final signing was that of Malcolm White, a 6-foot-9 power forward out of Genesis One Christian School in Mendenhall, Mississippi. Choosing Ole Miss over offers from Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State, and USC, White was a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com, who also ranked him as the number 86 player in the country, making White the highest-rated recruit in Ole Miss' incoming class.
Roster
Season
The Rebels began their season on November 2 with an exhibition game against Division II Delta State, who they soundly defeated 110–65.
Non-conference slate On November 10, the Rebels hosted Mississippi Valley State for their season opener. They defeated the Delta Devils comfortably, 97–63. In his debut, freshman Trevor Gaskins scored seven three-pointers, one shy of the school record set by Keith Carter. Three days later, the Rebels hosted South Alabama. Despite holding a 22-point lead in the first half, the Jaguars of South Alabama nearly came back, however, Ole Miss, largely led by Eniel Polynice's 28-point performance, held them off, winning 81–78. Ole Miss continued with a string of dominant home victories, with a 108–70 win against Lamar on November 16, a 94–70 win against Louisiana–Monroe on November 24, and a 102–76 win against Troy on November 27. Following the 85–77 win against also-unbeaten New Mexico on December 1, the Rebels were off to their first 6–0 start since the 2000–01 season, which started 11–0.
On December 8, the Rebels took to the road for the first time, traveling to the newly constructed UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida, to take on UCF. The Rebels held the lead the entire game, giving the Knights their first loss in their new arena. Ole Miss then traveled to the state capital, Jackson, on December 13 for the first time since 1989 to play Winthrop at the Mississippi Coliseum, where they defeated the Eagles by a score of 76–71 after trailing by as much as 7 in the second half.
San Juan Shootout The Rebels traveled to the Mario Morales Coliseum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, for the 2007 San Juan Shootout. Their first game was on December 20 against DePaul. Despite trailing 31–27 in the first half, the Rebels prevailed, 69–63, in a game that saw 11 lead changes between the two teams. Ole Miss held the Blue Demons to only six field goals in the second half, with none scored in the final nine minutes. The following day, Ole Miss defeated La Salle by a score of 84–77, despite blowing a 42–29 halftime lead and allowing the Explorers to take the lead several times in the second half.
In the final, the Rebels took on their first ranked opponent of the season, No. 15 Clemson, who were also unbeaten up to this point. The Rebels started the game with an 8-2 scoring run en route to a 48–40 halftime lead. Clemson, however, took the lead, 54–53, with 13 minutes left in the second half. An 8-point unanswered scoring run by Ole Miss would reclaim them the lead, 80–78, with under three minutes to go. They wouldn't relinquish it and won the game by a score of 85–83, marking Ole Miss' eleventh straight victory and starting the season 11-0 for only the third time in the program's history.
Following their Puerto Rico tour, now-ranked Ole Miss traveled to the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi on December 28, to take on Southern Miss. They soundly defeated the Golden Eagles, 78–58, and became the first Rebels team to start a season 12–0 and tied the record for longest winning streak, previously set by the 1926 team. For their final game before SEC conference play and their first game of the new year, Ole Miss hosted Alabama A&M on January 2. The Rebels thoroughly defeated the Bulldogs, 87–50, to break the record for longest win streak in Rebel basketball history.
Early conference matchups Now one of the NCAA's last six undefeated teams, Ole Miss traveled to the Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee on January 9, to take on No. 8 Tennessee. Down by 12 with eleven minutes left in the second half, the Rebels took an 83–79 lead late in the game. The Volunteers came back and tied it at 83. With 4.2 seconds left in the game, Tyler Smith hit a lay-up to give Tennessee the 85–83 victory and hand Ole Miss their first loss. The Rebels bounced back after this loss, defeating LSU 74–71 on January 12, and Florida 89–87 on January 16, their first win against the Gators since 2002.
The Rebels then embarked on a two-game road trip, first against Auburn at the Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama on January 19. After a neck-and-neck game, the Rebels lost to the Tigers, 80–77. Seven days later, the Rebels traveled to in-state rivals Mississippi State at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. The Bulldogs dominated the Rebels, winning by a score of 88–68.
The Rebels returned to Oxford and faced No. 19 Vanderbilt on January 30, defeating the slumping Commodores with a commanding 74–58 victory. Three days later, the Rebels hosted South Carolina. Ole Miss trailed for most of the game, but took a 77–75 lead late in the second half. The Gamecocks tied it 77-77, before Gamecock forward Dominique Archie scored the game-winning three-pointer with 5.9 seconds left, giving South Carolina the 80–77 upset. The woes continued for Ole Miss after travelling to Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas on February 9, to take on Arkansas. The Rebels nearly came back from their early 14-point deficit, but were ultimately defeated 75–69.
Later conference matchups Two days removed from their loss at Arkansas, Ole Miss hosted Presbyterian in their final non-conference game of the year. The Rebels won convincingly by a score of 66–55, making Ole Miss undefeated in the regular season against their non-conference opponents. Two days later, the Rebels traveled to the Coleman Coliseum to take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels were shut down on the court, trailing by as much as 14 as the Crimson Tide won 76–67.
On February 16, Ole Miss hosted Auburn for their second match-up of the season. Despite leading 43–42 at half-time, the Rebels lost 90–78, giving Auburn the season sweep. However, their fortunes changed four days later when they faced off against Mississippi State at home, defeating the Bulldogs 74–63 to split the season series against them. Despite this victory, Ole Miss dropped their next two: losing 69–49 against LSU on February 23 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge to split the season series, then dropping another four days later against Kentucky at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, by a score of 58–54.
For their final homestand, Ole Miss hosted Alabama on March 1, narrowly defeating the Tide 91–88 after a missed Crimson Tide three-pointer. The game ended with 2.5 seconds left on the clock, with the referees claiming a timing error had occurred. With the win, the Rebels ended up splitting the season series. Three days later, they hosted Arkansas, defeating the Razorbacks 81–72, splitting that season series as well. For their final regular season game, the Rebels traveled to Stegeman Coliseum to take on Georgia in Athens on March 8. With their 76–62 victory, the Rebels won their first and only road conference victory of the season.
Postseason SEC conference tournament