Listening to Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy talk about his team, it might be easy to overlook the fact that the Rebels are 7-1. Granted, Ole Miss hasn’t faced the toughest schedule — with the exception of UConn, Ole Miss has faced such heavyweights as Central Arkansas, Tennessee Tech and Nicholls State — but Kennedy sees lots of flaws.

First and foremost, the Rebels have exhibited a troubling habit of digging serious holes. They trailed Tennessee Tech by 10 in the second half … and won. They trailed Nicholls State by six at halftime … and won. They trailed New Orleans on Friday night by four at halftime … and won.

Glass half-full: The Rebels are gutting out tough wins. Glass half-empty: These wins are coming against so-so competition, and the Rebels probably are making life more difficult than it needs be. Kennedy sees a bit of both, but apparently more of the latter. He knows the SEC schedule beckons. And that worries him.

“Ultimately,” he said, “what goes around comes around. If you continue to run uphill, you’re going to wear out.”

On the bright side, Kennedy plans to welcome junior center Dwayne Curtis to the court against Memphis on Saturday. Curtis, sidelined with a fractured left foot since the preseason, led the team in scoring and rebounding last year. Kennedy was asked if he planned to slowly incorporate Curtis into the lineup. Kennedy practically choked.

“He’s our all-league returning player,” Kennedy said. “I’m not real smart, but we’re going to play him when he’s ready to play. And I’m going to throw it to him, too, every time he’s open. Sometimes when he’s not.”

In other news, voting for the AP Top 25 poll this week produced more chaos for yours truly. Ohio State lost to North Carolina, Wichita State beat Syracuse, maddeningly inconsistent Kansas lost to DePaul, Florida got bounced by Florida State, Marquette was upset by North Dakota State. That’s right, North Dakota State. Ah, December. Kudos to UConn, Oregon and Xavier, who are making their debuts in my poll. Jeers to Georgetown, Georgia Tech and Texas, who dropped out.

1. UCLA, 2. Pittsburgh, 3. North Carolina, 4. Alabama, 5. Ohio State, 6. Duke, 7. LSU, 8. Texas A&M, 9. Wichita State, 10. Kansas, 11. Florida, 12. Memphis, 13. Butler, 14. Wisconsin, 15. Marquette, 16. Washington, 17. Arizona, 18. Syracuse, 19. Gonzaga, 20. Nevada, 21. UConn, 22. Oregon, 23. Xavier, 24. Maryland, 25. Virginia