I agree that it would be a good test, but IMO the real "measuring stick" would be to make it to the finals and plan 'Nova. Ole Miss is solid and has a lot back from last year, but they were barely over .500, so I don't consider them a measuring stick unless our aim is to be a middle of the pack Big 12 team. In 'Nova you have a Top 10 team with some key players back that won 30 games last year. That is the type of team I want to see us compete against and see how we compare.
Ole Miss had major star player injury issues last year and this year everyone is healthy. They have both talent and experience. I consider them a top SEC team after Tennessee/Kentucky but a step above LSU/Miss State/Fla and others.
This. Ole Miss lost Warren after just 11 games last year. He was averaging 19.6 points and 4 assists per game when they lost him. Couple that with the fact that they lost Polynice before their season started to an injury. Polynice is their best defender and averaged more than 10 points and 5 boards in 2007-08.
Both guys are back, and couple that with experience and the return of SEC freshman of the year Terrico White should make it an immense challenge. White averaged 18 points per game in league play last year. So their 16-15 record and 7-9 record in league play should be basically thrown out the window.
They essentially return 5 starters. It will be a major test.
