Just five minutes later, Arenas was whistled for his fourth foul. Jefferson, the team's only starter capable of filling in for Arenas, shared guard duties with sophomore Jason Gardner until Arenas reentered with the game in hand. The performance was a vindication of sorts for Jefferson, who finished last season as one of the Wildcats' best offensive players. Known for his leaping ability and highlight-reel dunks, Jefferson went so far as to release a statement at the end of last season, saying that he would not enter the NBA Draft. This year, something was different for Jefferson.
Rebounds are an effort thing.
Jefferson, however, said that his lack of offense didn't come from being overworked on defense - it came from overconfidence in his teammates. The player that was criticized last year for shooting too much said he became timid when he touched the ball, content to pass it off to Arenas, Wright, or senior center Loren Woods. That's something I've lacked all season. UA head coach Lute Olson said that while he was proud of Jefferson's scoring efforts, he was more impressed with the junior's rebounding. The Wildcats outrebounded Ole Miss, 45-32 and had 46 points in the paint compared to the Rebels' 20.