Coach Andy Kennedy knew the Utes were a pretty good shooting team last season. But still, from his perspective, things grew a little ridiculous in his Ole Miss team's 83-72 loss to the Utes at the Glenn Wilkes Classic on Friday night.

"Jordan Cyphers, he plays four minutes all year," Kennedy said, "and against us, he makes four threes. Sometimes that happens."

Which is exactly what Cyphers was thinking.

Though the freshman guard scarcely had been off the bench for the Utes in the first two games, he came up huge against the Rebels, scoring 12 points -- all on three-pointers -- in 16 minutes that he acknowledged he did not expect.

"But I always stay ready on the bench," he said, "because you never know."

While the Utes hit 12 three-pointers in all and shot 53.4 percent for the game, Cyphers played a key role early in the second half, burying three straight three-pointers after the Rebels had snuck back within 10 points. It's precisely what coach Jim Boylen wanted to see from the Kansas sharpshooter.

"That's what Jordan can do," coach Jim Boylen said. "That's why he was recruited. I said, when I recruited him, 'We can use your shooting right now.' He needs to replace Johnnie Bryant, and I thought ... he looked like that guy -- only five inches bigger, which is nice for us."