Between doctors, vets and sales calls for my actual job, today’s going to require just a quick scan of the day’s headlines.  Here’s the first whip-around…

1.  Auburn has decided that if the oaks at Toomer’s Corner die as expected, they will be replaced by one or more new oaks.  (Kind of an obvious solution.)

2.  The Alabama basketball team is going backward.

3.  Boise State doesn’t expect to add Arkansas to its 2012 football schedule.

4.  Dee Bost had a big night for MSU last night… without scoring a lot of points.

5.  Ole Miss will look to pull the upset when #14 Florida visits the Tad Pad tonight.

6.  Rebel quarterback signee Bo Wallace was cited for underage possession of alcohol last Thursday.  Egad.

The University of Mississippi appears to finally be moving forward with plans to replace the Tad Pad.  Having a basketball game called due to rain in the gym will do that for you.

According to The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, later this summer it’s expected that Ole Miss will announce plans for a $125-150 million fund-raising campaign “aimed primarily at replacing aging Tad Smith Coliseum.”

“There’s been so much done as a university to improve athletics facilities as a whole, they realize this is the last bastion for us and next hurdle that needs to be cleared,” said Andy Kennedy.

The building is expected to seat 10,000 and will likely bear some similarities to Auburn’s new arena which opened this past season.

Ask members of the SEC media which basketball arena is the worst in the league and 99.9% will say this: Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford.  Small, cramped, old, dark, the Tad Pad is in major need of a refurbishing (or a razing).

In case you missed it, last night’s Ole Miss-Tennessee women’s game was rained out at the Tad Pad.  No, really.  A college basketball game was rained out.

According to Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger: “… high winds from last night’s storm drove rain into the air vents at the top of the coliseum’s roof.”  With water falling inside the building, the game was called between UM and UT with just over five minutes left to play.   And now the debate over building a new arena will once again move front and center in Oxford.

On the bright side, Ole Miss AD Pete Boone told The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that the unusually strong storm was the problem, not the roof.  So unless a massive storm hits during tomorrow afternoon’s game with Alabama, all things should be peachy at the Tad Pad.

“If you have sideways blowing rain that can make a difference, but you can’t just hope that that never happens.  It’s one of those things that have to get fixed, and the University will get it done.”

Which means it’s game “Game on!” tomorrow for the Rebels and Tide.  Unless the rain starts blowing sideways.