Making a point: Rebels' Harrison faces Bulldogs' Zimmerman
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Posted 7:40AM on Saturday, January 12, 2002
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - Mississippi point guard Jason Harrison can't dunk like Mississippi State point guard Derrick Zimmerman can. <br>
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The 5-foot-5 Harrison doesn't streak by defenders the way the 6-2 Zimmerman often does. <br>
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Harrison's drives to the basket are rarely highlight reel material, while Zimmerman makes at least one eye-catching play a game. <br>
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But Rebels coach Rod Barnes said his gritty senior has at least one edge over the Bulldogs' floor general. <br>
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``Leadership wise, Harrison has the advantage,'' Barnes said. <br>
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Barnes said he hasn't decided whether Harrison will match up with Zimmerman Saturday when Ole Miss (12-3, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) plays host to No. 22 Mississippi State (14-2, 1-1). <br>
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It seems likely, at least at the start, that Harrison and Zimmerman will go head-to-head. Zimmerman is the shortest player in Mississippi State's starting lineup. <br>
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Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury said being slight in stature doesn't hold Harrison back. <br>
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``Forget his size and height,'' Stansbury said. ``Measure his heart.'' <br>
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Barnes is inclined to switching defenders on an opponent's top players, so expect to see David Sanders, Emmanuel Wade and others trying to cut off Zimmerman, who leads the SEC in assists at 6.4 per game. <br>
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Zimmerman is averaging 9.9 points per game and is coming off a career-high 17 in a loss to Arkansas on Tuesday. <br>
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With less flash, Harrison is putting up similar numbers. <br>
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Harrison is averaging 11.1 points and 4.6 assists per game and is a more accurate long-range shooter then Zimmerman. <br>
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Harrison is hitting just under 40 percent of his 3-point shots, compared to 25 percent for Zimmerman. And while Zimmerman has struggled at the free-throw line making 58 percent, Harrison is the SEC's best from the stripe at 90 percent. <br>
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``If you can shoot it, you can shoot it,'' Stansbury said. ``It doesn't matter how tall you are.'' <br>
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Harrison had 14 points and four assists in leading the Rebels to a 69-65 come-from-behind win over Auburn on Wednesday night. Ole Miss trailed by 20 in the first half. <br>
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The Rebels will try to make it two straight against the Bulldogs. <br>
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Ole Miss snapped a four-game losing streak in what has traditionally been a rough-and-tumble series with a 51-48 victory at Tad Smith Coliseum last season.
