GAME NOTES: A showdown between a couple of unbeatens takes place at Tad Smith Coliseum this afternoon, as the Ole Miss Rebels and the New Mexico Lobos go head-to-head in non-conference action. A perfect 5-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign, Ole Miss began this week with the nation's second-highest scoring offense at 96.4 ppg, with a good deal of that success coming against Lamar and Troy against whom the team went over the 100-point mark. Versus the Trojans on Tuesday night, Ole Miss rattled off a crushing 102-76 victory at home in Oxford. This game represents the last of a six-game homestand to start the 2007-08 campaign for the Rebels, with a trip to Orlando to face UCF next Saturday. Meanwhile, New Mexico is two wins ahead of the Rebels, showing off a pristine 7-0 mark thanks to a hard-fought 57-48 victory over Southern Utah on Wednesday night. The decision concluded a six-game homestand for the Lobos, who opened the season with a similar low-scoring win over Colorado in Boulder in their lone road game to this point. With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, UNM won both previous meetings, including a tremendous 95-42 thrashing at The Pit last season, the 53-point margin of victory equaling the fourth largest in program history in the building.

A week earlier, the Lobos dropped 89 points on Hawaii in a 29-point win and on Wednesday night the team was lucky to get away with a 57-48 victory over Southern Utah. J.R. Giddens led the way for the Lobos with 14 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocked shots, all of which were tops on the team, save for the thefts which tied Darren Prentice. Certainly, Prentice needed something to hang is hat on, considering he shot a pathetic 2- of-11 from the field. Daniel Faris added 10 points, converting 5-of-6 shots from the floor for a team that made just 3-of-24 beyond the arc. Giddens continues to lead a balanced scoring attack (78.1 ppg) with his 13.4 ppg and is far and a away the top man on the glass with close to eight and a half rebounds per outing. Giddens also paces the group with 10 blocks and 10 steals to show his versatility at the defensive end of the floor. Chad Toppert, a 45 percent shooter from three-point range, has managed 12 ppg exclusively off the bench for a unit that is shooting a collective 42.5 percent beyond the arc even after the poor performance versus Southern Utah.

Ole Miss led by a mere five points at the half versus the Trojans on Tuesday night, but that was before the team knocked down 53.3 percent from the field and limited Troy to just nine baskets after the break. Three different players registered double-doubles for the Rebels, beginning with Chris Warren who not only tallied a team-best 23 points, but also handed out 10 of the team's 23 assists. Dwayne Curtis accounted for 17 points and 13 rebounds, Kenny Williams had 10 points and a team-high 13 boards, while Jeremy Parnell and Trevor Gaskins contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench. The Rebels also cleared an incredible 64 rebounds versus the Trojans, boosting their average to 46 rpg and giving them a rebounding average of almost 12 per game over opponents. There are no fewer than six players scoring in double figures at the moment for Ole Miss, with Eniel Polynice leading the way with his 14.8 ppg to go along with 18 assists. Warren (14.6 ppg) is the floor general with his 37 dishes thus far, while Williams (10.8 ppg) and Curtis (12.8 ppg) have combined for more than 17 rpg to form a huge presence in the paint.

With the Lobos putting up just 57 points the other night, it is clear that there's no telling what the team might accomplish on any given night, so with such a high-powered offense it should be Ole Miss that sends UNM to its first loss of the season.