Jackson Free Press

College basketball has been filled with crazy upsets this February, but the real fun begins this Friday when the calendar turns to March. The NCAA Tournament will be the major focus for teams on the bubble across the nation.

Mississippi State is in rebuilding mode this season, and the Bulldogs will be at home when the madness of March begins.

The only way Jackson State is getting into the tournament is by winning the SWAC Tournament at the end of the season.

No disrespect to JSU, or to any SWAC team, but the conference is going to get just one bid. I personally hope that one of our SWAC teams get in the big dance like Mississippi Valley State University did last season.

Two teams in this state have a chance to make the big tournament, even if they don't win their conference tournaments: Southern Miss and Ole Miss both have a chance to get into the Big Dance with an at-large bid.

Southern Miss has a lot of work to do if the Golden Eagles are going to get an at-large bid after losing 89-73 to Memphis this past Saturday. USM lost to the Tigers twice this season.

The Golden Eagles will have to make a run to the title game of the C-USA Tournament in Tulsa, Okla., in the middle of March. USM will also need some other teams to end up tanking in this last month of the season and in their conference tournaments to grab a 
late bid.

Ole Miss has a better shot of getting into the NCAA Tournament, but losses like last week's to South Carolina doesn't help the Rebels. There are a couple of games left on the schedule for the Rebels and they need to make a statement.

If coach Andy Kennedy wants to lead Ole Miss to the Big Dance for the first time since 2002, they need to finish strong. The Rebels beat a tough Texas A&M team and an Alabama team that could steal a bid with a strong finish.

The Rebels can't afford to lose to bad LSU or Mississippi State teams to end the season. Even if Ole Miss can win out over their final four games, they will also need to win at least one game in the SEC tournament.

Ole Miss could help themselves out by getting a SEC tournament win over Missouri or Florida. The Tigers and Gators are projected to be locks into the field of 68 teams.

This was supposed to be the year that the Rebels cruised to a tournament bid, but that is not happening. The only big win Ole Miss can boast is against Missouri at home--if that is all the Rebels can show the selection committee, it may not be enough.

Still, Kennedy just became the winningest basketball coach in Ole Miss history with his 145th win--passing B.L. Graham's 144 wins.

If he takes the Rebels to a fourth straight NIT, does he still get to keep his job, Rebel fans?