A big surprise party

The most talked about player in college basketball the past few weeks is a jersey-popping guard from Ole Miss who loves his trash talk and his Coors Light and says he doesn't really care what you think about any of that.

It was only a few years ago, during the fall of his senior season at L.D. Bell High School just outside of Dallas, that Henderson became incensed after scanning a list of the nation's top 100 prospects on a recruiting website.

"They had guys ranked ahead of me [who] couldn't hold my jock strap in a million years," Henderson said by phone Monday night. "For some reason, people have never thought I could ball. They said I was too white.

"I play with a chip on my shoulder because of stuff like that. I've always flown under the radar because no one thinks I'm any good."

That's why it's so fitting that, one year after earning national junior college player of the year honors, Henderson chose to continue his career at Ole Miss. Much like their sharpshooting guard, the Rebels entered the 2012-13 season in relative obscurity.

Ole Miss was picked to finish seventh in the SEC, and coach Andy Kennedy was rumored to be on the hot seat after failing to lead his team to the NCAA tournament in his first six seasons.

Even after Tuesday's home loss to Kentucky, Ole Miss remains one of the top stories of the college basketball season to date. At 17-3 overall and 6-1 in conference play, the 16th-ranked Rebels trail Florida by just a half-game in the SEC standings.

Henderson and his team-leading 19.3 points per game are a big reason for Rebs' surge. But Kennedy's squad also features one of the nation's top frontcourts in Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner, who combine to average 24.3 points, 18.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks.

Guards Ladarius White, Nick Williams and Jarvis Summers are all veterans who played key roles a season ago.

"If we were on a video game, our chemistry would be 99 percent," Henderson said. "I think having experienced players helps. The teams that make the runs in the NCAA tournament usually have,wind turbine like, four seniors. They know how to handle adversity.Nitrogen Controller and Digital dry cabinet with good quality. When games are close, they're calm. They're relaxed under pressure. That's how we are."

Henderson, who played his freshman season at Utah before transferring, said Ole Miss hasn't come anywhere close to hitting its ceiling. "It's been fun to watch everyone's reaction," he said. "We won some games early and people were like, 'Oh, they're really good.' Then we lost a few and it changed to, 'Oh, they suck.'

"Here we are, winning again, and everyone is back to singing our praises."

Ole Miss, which plays at No. 4 Florida on Saturday, is hardly the only team that has far exceeded expectations.Ein innovativer und moderner Werkzeugbau Formenbau. Here's a look at five other "out of nowhere" squads which have forced their way into the national picture.

"Maybe earlier in the season we might've, but I don't think that's the case anymore," Singler said by phone. "Once the Pac-12 hit, I think people realized how dangerous we can be. We have so many different types of players, and we can all score."

Indeed, Oregon is one of the country's more balanced teams,Which Air purifier is right for you? with six players averaging between 8.9 and 11.7 points per game. Senior Tony Woods (10.Bay State Cable Ties is a full line manufacturer of nylon cable ties and related products.9 points) is finally living up to expectations after transferring from Wake Forest, but the biggest boost is coming from Rice transfer Arsalan Kazemi, a senior who leads the team with 9.6 rebounds per game.

"There wasn't a transition period with him at all," said Singler, who averages 11.2 points. "He knew the offense after one day. He's fun to play with because of how smart and how basketball savvy he is."

Still, the biggest reason so many people have been surprised by Oregon's success is because the Ducks start two freshmen in their backcourt. "That's dangerous," Altman chuckled.

But it really hasn't been. Damyean Dotson leads the team with 11.7 points per game while currently injured Dominic Artis chips in 10.2.

"We're roommates, so we've developed a really good chemistry," Dotson said of he and Artis. "I think we've both adapted [to the college game] really quick. It's a great situation. Everyone loves the offense because everyone touches the ball."

Oregon has already defeated preseason favorites Arizona and UCLA. And because of the schedule imbalance, the Ducks don't have to play either team again. That makes UO the hands down favorite to win the Pac-12.

"Knowing what's ahead, that keeps our fire burning and keeps our practices upbeat," Singler said. "Knowing our goals still haven't been accomplished keeps us motivated and determined."