Teams that return four starters after making the NCAA Tournament have the right to high expectations. So the Ole Miss Rebels were well within their rights a year ago.

The Rebels were sitting at a respectable 3-2 five games into their Southeastern Conference schedule when expectations blew up in their faces.

If it could go wrong it did for Ole Miss. The Rebels lost 10 straight games and finished below .500 overall (14-15, 4-12 SEC) for the first time under coach Rod Barnes.

Now with a flood of newcomers -- four junior college signees and two freshmen -- bobbing around anchors Justin Reed and Aaron Harper, it's expectations time again.

This is not a band-aid group, Barnes insists. "We do have some questions because of the attrition [guards Jonathan Loe and Trey Pearson and center John Gunn left the team]," Barnes said. "Our newcomers are going to have to come through for us to get there. But we feel like the guys we're bringing in, along with the guys we have returning, can get us back to the Tournament. How good our league is will dictate a lot of that."

FRONTCOURT

How good Reed is could dictate a lot of it, too. The senior from Jackson was pretty good last year. His 15.4-point scoring average led the team for the second straight season. Reed developed his game last year to become more of a perimeter threat. After hitting just eight 3-pointers and shooting less then 30 percent behind the arc as a sophomore, he hit 20-of-47 3-point attempts (.426) as a junior.

Barnes can play Reed at center, power forward or small forward, depending on where the matchup favors the Rebels.

Reed flirted with the idea of entering the NBA draft but chose to stay in Oxford. He doesn't believe he'll be disappointed. "I see us competing in the SEC," he said. "In the beginning, it will be a struggle, but as the season progresses, we'll get better and better. We want to try and run more and make the game exciting. We need to get out on the fast break and get some easy baskets and not slow down as much."

If the Rebels can get a little scoring from the 5 spot, it will take some pressure off Reed. For Ole Miss, the middle of the lane could be filled exclusively by junior college transfers, one of them a redshirt. Lonnie Jackson entered the program last year but sat out. His rebounding and shot-blocking will help him compete for playing time.

Barnes calls transfer Tommie Eddie a skilled guy in the post. Eddie, who averaged 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, could play power forward but is likely to spend most of his time in the middle.

The best bet to help Reed score is Marvin Moore. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder played at Southern Union State (Ala.) Community College, where he was a teammate of forward Byron Burnett's, another Ole Miss signee. Moore's athleticism has been compared to that of former Ole Miss stars Jason Smith and Marcus Hicks. Moore ranked seventh in the nation in scoring (23.1 ppg) and 15th in rebounding (9.9 rpg) last season.

BACKCOURT

Harper could figure in at small forward, but Barnes would like to play him more at the shooting guard. He started off with a bang last year, ranking among the SEC's leading scorers and grabbing the Player of the Week honor in late January. But teams began to key on Harper, and he ended the season unranked among the league's top 3-point shooters. Getting him back on track will be key for the Rebels.

The point guard spot will be filled by a newcomer. Junior college transfer Ed Glass is a tough, physical slasher who figures to have an edge on freshman Todd Abernethy, who is more of a finesse player.

At 6-feet, junior Justin Johnson is a hustler who's prone to drop in a big 3.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Any time you bring a new player into a program, there is a period of adjustment. With so many newcomers filling critical roles, the Rebels cannot afford extended on-the-job training.

If the transfers don't pan out, a repeat of the painful 2002-03 season is a real possibility. Someone has to help Reed score, and Harper didn't show that he could do that consistently last season.

If one of the newcomers proves to be a threat, Reed will have room to breathe. Harper also can be deadly when he's not the focus of attention.

The pieces could be in place for the Rebels to be a more exciting offensive team, but there is little room for error.

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