HottyToddy.com Sports Roundup

Hottytoddy.com is giving readers a roundup of all the commentary and information about the Ole Miss Rebels from various publications around the Web.

Readers will be able to check out the latest information in a single post every week throughout the season. Here at HottyToddy.com, we are doing all the leg work to find the information that people want to hear about Ole Miss sports.

This week, the roundup will consist of articles on Why Ole Miss deserves a spot if they win out, men’s tennis and Tony Conner.

The Rebel Walk

The College Football Playoffs and the SEC: Why Ole Miss deserves a spot if they win out

The first College Football Playoff Committee rankings were released Tuesday, and the Ole Miss Rebels are No. 18. (Click here for the complete CFP Rankings.)

Following the ranking of two Southeastern Conference teams—LSU and Alabama—at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, there was much discussion about the strength of the league and which team, if any, will ultimately be its representative in the playoffs.

A vast majority of analysts believe Alabama will be the SEC team in the playoffs, while many still think LSU will be standing at the end. What about the Rebels’ chances? Well, there are actually “experts” who have gone on the record to say if Ole Miss wins out and wins the SEC title game, the Rebels—and the conference—will be left out of the playoffs entirely. 

One thing we do know for sure: as soon as the top four teams were announced Tuesday, there was outrage from those outside the SEC for the league to have two teams in the playoffs.

Courtesy of Evelyn Van Pelt click here to read more on this story

Men’s Tennis 

Rebel Freshman Reaches Main Draw at ITF Futures

Ole Miss men’s tennis freshman Filip Kraljevic waited two days to finish his third round match in qualifying at the ITF Players’ Choice Open, and when he did finally get on the court, he finished off a comeback win and then won in straight sets in the final round to reach the main draw at the Highland Park Tennis Center Tuesday.

Rain dampened the tournament over the weekend and into Monday, causing play to be delayed. When Kraljevic stepped on the court Tuesday morning to resume his match against UAB senior Stepan Vancurik (Czech Republic), he trailed a set. Kraljevic dominated the second set and then won the third for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory.

After a break, Kraljevic returned to the courts to face former Blue Chip recruit, Alabama sophomore Grayson Goldin, and didn’t waste any time getting off the court 6-2, 6-2.

Kraljevic will face one of the top collegiate players in the main draw first round, Illinois senior Jared Hiltzik. Hiltzik, an All-American, is ranked No. 12 in collegiate tennis and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship last year.

On his way to the main draw, Kraljevic also defeated Tulsa’s Or Ram-Harel, ranked No. 21 in college tennis, 6-2, 6-1.

“Filip beat some very good players on his way to the main draw,” assistant coach Taylor Vaughn said. “I am impressed with the way he is carrying himself on the court and looking forward to him getting a shot in the main draw tomorrow.”

After receiving a wildcard into the qualifying, sophomore Grey Hamilton had a solid tournament, reaching the third round of qualifying before dropping a tight match to Yannick Born, who played at MTSU. Hamilton was serving up 4-3 in the third, but Born reeled off three straight games for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win. In the second round, Hamilton knocked off the No. 1 seed, Niclas Braun (Mississippi State).

“Grey did a great job in his first Future,” Vaughn said. “He beat the No. 1 seed − who has a handful of ATP points − and is moving in the right direction.”

The main draw will feature live scoring throughout the tournament, which can be found at itftennis.com.

For more information on Ole Miss Men’s Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics

Red Cup Rebelion

Ole Miss is getting Tony Conner back at the perfect time

In case you missed it, it sounds like All-American Ole Miss defensive back Tony Conner, who hasn’t seen the field since undergoing knee surgery in late September, is going to play against Arkansas this Saturday.

“No doubt Tony Conner will try to go,” Hugh Freeze said during his Monday press conference. “He’ll attempt at it. The goal is to get through this season playing in some of these critical last games. We have this week, and then an open week where we can control the swelling so we can play the last two. He’s going to give it a go.”

As much as it’s sucked not having Conner for the last six weeks (a stretch that saw the Rebs go 4-2), there’s no three-game stretch on the schedule that Ole Miss would rather have him on the field. And I don’t just say that because the home stretch against Arkansas, LSU and Mississippi State will decide whether the Rebs finally make it to Atlanta — I say it because Conner will be the key to matching up against three of the most balanced offenses in the league.

Courtesy of Jeff Gray click here to read more on this story

HottyToddy.com sports staff